In a new exhibition in Mexico City, French luxury jewelry brand Cartier is taking visitors through its 176-year history, which includes its partnership with late Mexican actress and icon María Félix.
“María Félix was the ideal personality to work alongside Cartier to create jewelry that was completely innovative and new,” curator Ana Elena Mallet told Forbes magazine. “She is still a very important icon in Mexico, and having a woman actress as a key part of the discourse in this exhibition was important.”
Cartier Design: A Living Legacy will be on display at the Museo Jumex through May 14, 2023, and includes 160 items – from its founding year in 1847 to the present day. The pieces also include many of the necklaces, bracelets, and other accessories that Félix helped create with Cartier in the 1960s and 1970s.
“María was an incomparable beauty with talent, ambition, intelligence, drive, and a social conscience,” Walter López Rivera, president of the María Félix Estate, told Forbes. “She chose to use her fame in uniquely creative ways, such as her Cartier jewelry creations.”
“María brought a huge amount of creative energy to Cartier,” Mallet said. “I really want other generations to understand and be curious about this woman and her legacy. Not only her jewels and her style, but to also know her film career and all she achieved as a woman at the time.”
Some of Félix’s pieces that will be on display include her collection of “La Doña” Cartier watches and a necklace featuring baby crocodiles. According to Forbes, María Félix was one of only two individuals that had a collection named in their honor.