About this Event
The big picture:
Sophisticated...seductive...classic. The phrase "French perfume" often evokes these adjectives. But how did France become known as the center of Western perfumery?
This genre-blending gallery tour will illustrate France’s fragrant history in the 1700s through works of art and design in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, spotlighting some of the events and individuals behind perfume's ascendance as one of France's signature luxury goods.
Experiencing these spaces and objects as a small group (under 10 people), we’ll sample and sniff aromatic materials while we simultaneously indulge our eyes and noses.
To attend this 90-minute gallery tour, you'll also need to purchase your own general admission ticket to the Met. Ticket prices are listed here. (New York State residents and NY, NJ, and CT students "pay what you wish"; for all others, admission is $30 for adults, $22 for seniors, $17 for students. Friday hours:10 AM-9 PM.)
The fine print:
- No refunds will be issued for tickets to this event. However, you’re welcome to pass your ticket along to a friend if you’re not able to use it.
- Unfortunately, Met memberships/discounts can not be applied to this independently organized tour.
- Our exact meeting spot will be shared with registrants closer to the tour date. Please arrive early to allow time for security checkpoints, coatcheck, and crowds at the Met!
- Please note that we will be on our feet for the majority of this tour.
- We will be smelling pre-dipped blotters and other dry materials; we will not be spraying or otherwise diffusing any fragrance inside the building.
- All attendees will be expected to follow the Met’s Visitor Guidelines.
About your guide:
Jessica Murphy is a museum professional with a passion for perfume. She holds a Ph.D. in art history and has worked at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Brooklyn Museum. She has also been writing about fragrance since 2007 at Now Smell This and her own blog, Perfume Professor. Since 2015 she has taught and lectured about the history and culture of fragrance through organizations including the Brooklyn Brainery, the Institute for Art and Olfaction, Morbid Anatomy, the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, and the Timken Museum (San Diego). You can follow her on Instagram @tinselcreation.
What people are saying:
"A fragrant trip through time and space." --- Daisy B, Manhattan
"This literally brought Versailles to life through fragrance." --- Keyonna P-R, Queens
Image:
Detail of Perfume-burner supported by baby tritons and garlanded with flowers. French, 18th century. Oil on canvas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1906. 07.225.457a
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Avenue, New York, United States
USD 40.00
