Diptyque's New Fragrance Is a Work of Art
Diptyque’s history is steeped as much in art as it is in scent. The brand's three founders—Yves Coueslant, Christiane Gautrot, and Desmond Knox-Leet—were talented designers, illustrators and painters who infused their love of travel and sensory experience into everything they created. Diptyque has since consistently sought out collaborators who share its eclectic vision and connect the dots between storytelling and scent. Last year, Diptyque partnered with renown French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel to introduce a candle in honor of his exhibition at the Louvre, “La Rose du Louvre,” which explored the queen of flowers’ relationship to some of the museum’s masterpieces. Now, the candle will be joined by a new fragrance, the Othoniel Rosa Eau de Toilette, which takes the distinctively peppery rose perfume from home to skin. The heavenly, unique scent is that of the “Othoniel rose,” which was selected by the artist after a rose breeder offered to name a cultivar in his honor, and which now blooms in the garden at the Louvre. Here, the artist shares his passion for flowers, and explains why his journey with Diptyque is a dream come true.
What has been your relationship with flowers throughout your life?
I began to be interested in art and flowers when I was 10 years old. I started to read a lot about it. This is how I discovered the secret meanings of flowers in paintings. During thirty years I collected anecdotes about flowers and art. Recently for my show, now permanently installed in the Louvre Museum, I decided to share my passions in a book, L’herbier Merveilleux.
I love flowers because they are the first images of the world. During generations when there were no representations, they were the only support for human imagination and it is what I am looking for when I look at a flower. Those first images gave me ideas and inspiration for my paintings and sculptures. Plants are very important because they are a source of inspiration and meditation. I will soon open a solo show at Perrotin Tokyo on the theme of the Chrysanthemum flower and its symbolism in ancient Japanese culture. The show, running from September to October 2020, will present never before seen colorful mirrored glass sculptures bringing joy to the eye of the beholder.
What do you love specifically about roses?
The rose is the most precious flower in French culture, the most painted too as there are more than 5,000 titles of paintings with the word "rose" in the Louvre's collection. It is also the most romantic flower in our poetry and at the same time it is the most wild and itchy.
When you chose the rose that would bear your name, what drew you to this particular bloom?
The first reason was the delicacy of this rose, its pure color, its beautiful sunny heart and the fact that it reminded me of a wild rose. But what surprised me was its amazing and strong perfume, straightforward and clear.
What, for you, is most inspiring about fragrance?
To me, fragrances mean freedom and joy. Making my own perfume is a project I have had in mind for many years. It is a dream to enter in the privacy of the people who love my work and also the opportunity for the people who do not know me to discover my work. It is a unique chance to open my art and creative universe to a new public.
What does the new Diptyque Othoniel Rosa Eau de Toilette express to you, and what emotions does it conjure?
The smell of the rose was a real discovery as its perfume is really unique and not what one expects from a common rose. Othoniel Rosa is a work of art and captures beautifully the fragrance of the flower. It is like a self-portrait, and the fragrance of Othoniel Rosa is so unique with this note of pepper and freshness.
How does your collaboration with Diptyque connect with your larger body of work?
The process of creating a fragrance is similar to creating an artwork or making a movie with an evolution in time and space. It is like working on the concept of souvenir.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of PEI’s pyramid, the Louvre Museum invited me to permanently install in the Museum a series of 6 paintings inspired by a rose I found in Rubens’ artwork “Marriage of Marie de Medici and Henri IV of France.” This rose struck me as the Louvre’s symbolic flower as it is a rose that represents love, the History of France and a very strong woman who asked Rubens to portray her for the first time in history. My paintings are like calligraphies that sublimate the energy of Rubens’ rose. I decided to work with that same black ink on the bottle of the Diptyque Eau de toilette and the packaging since I find the same wildness, the same wave of energy and liberty when drawing and smelling this joyous and strong fragrance. Both bring a timeless emotion.
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