Francis Kurkdjian Marks 30 Years Of Turning Perfume Into Art With A New Paris Exhibition

Francis Kurkdjian has spent the past three decades transforming perfume into an art form—one that exists not just on skin, but in space, memory and emotion. As artistic director of Maison Francis Kurkdjian and head of fragrance creation at Dior, he moves effortlessly between luxury and artistry, drawing inspiration from music, dance, theater and gastronomy. His creative process begins with an idea or emotion, distilled into a name that anchors each scent’s story before he composes it note by note. The result is a body of work that spans from Le Male for Jean Paul Gaultier to the magnetic abstraction of Baccarat Rouge 540, now a global phenomenon.

Kurkdjian sees perfume as a “sculpture of the invisible”—an architecture of air capable of expressing beauty, time and space. His current exhibition, “Perfume, Sculpture of the Invisible”, at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris until November 23, 2025, celebrates 30 years of olfactory creation through immersive installations that fuse scent with art, music and movement. Highlights include his collaborations with artists across disciplines—from the conceptual provocations of Sophie Calle, the electro-kinetic sculptures of Elias Crespin and the sensory experiments of Yann Toma to the theatrical vision of Cyril Teste, the culinary artistry of chef Anne-Sophie Pic and the musical interpretations of conductor Klaus Mäkelä and pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque.

The show revisits Kurkdjian’s first encounter with Calle in 1999, when she challenged him to capture “the smell of money”—a project that marked the beginning of his lifelong exploration of scent as an artistic language. It’s a landmark moment in a career devoted to proving that fragrance is more than adornment—it’s one of the most powerful, poetic and contemporary forms of artistic expression. I sit down with Kurkdjian to discuss art and perfume.

How do you approach creating a perfume for commercial purposes versus artistic purposes like for an installation or collaboration? Is the process different?

As a perfumer, the creative process always begins with an idea, a vision or an emotion I want to translate into scent. Whether it’s for my Maison, Dior or an artistic installation, my role is to give shape to the invisible. The process never changes because I always try to focus on a universal feeling. Any form of art is a language, aimed at telling a story and creating emotions, while expressing a vision. Scent is the language I use to express mine, to tell my stories. It is fair to say that there has been a longstanding relationship between the realms of art and perfume throughout history, a relationship that has been characterized by shared esthetics, principles, craftsmanship, cultural importance, symbolic richness, sensory engagement, innovation over time—all elements tied closely together within human experience across the ages. 

That said, the approach does differ in intent and structure. When creating for Dior, I’m working within the rich heritage of the House. There’s a legacy to respect, a signature to honor. It’s a dialog between tradition and innovation, where the perfume must be both distinctive and universally resonant. When creating for my namesake House, I follow my creative vision fully. There are also precise technical, regulatory and commercial considerations that guide the process—without compromising creativity.

In contrast, artistic projects or installations offer a different kind of freedom. They allow me to push boundaries, explore more conceptual or abstract themes and even challenge the very definition of perfume and the fact that it must smell good. These creations can be more ephemeral, more personal, sometimes more daring, without any commercial or financial goals.

Do you believe that perfume is art?

I believe a perfume created to be worn at large is not art. Perfume is meant to be pleasant and please. It is supposed to evoke nice, beautiful emotions and convey seductiveness, pleasure, glamor and a positive attitude. Art is not only about that. Art is about the whole spectrum of emotions, positive and negative. That difference is very important to me. Beauty in art can be conveyed through dark thoughts or even ugliness or misery—the opposite of what beauty in commercial products is about. This is why I believe olfactory installations can bring a total new field in the world of scent, real art and new emotions. It’s a territory where I can freely explore feelings that I would not be able to express within the context of a commercial scent.

You’re the artistic director of Maison Francis Kurkdjian and also director of fragrance creation at Dior. How do you manage the balance between these two very different creative and strategic responsibilities?

Wearing both hats is certainly a challenge, but it’s also a privilege. Firstly, it is a matter of organization. My agenda is very well separated between both houses. My weekdays are dedicated to one or the other, very clearly, and my two personal assistants make sure we keep this precise routine. At Maison Francis Kurkdjian, I express a very personal, almost intimate vision of perfumery—one that is rooted in freedom, experimentation and storytelling. At Dior, my role is different: it’s about honoring a legacy, translating the couture spirit of the House into fragrance and writing new olfactory chapters that resonate globally.

What allows me to balance these two worlds is a deep respect for their identities, their histories and their distinct creative energies. I approach each with the same level of commitment and passion, but with a different mindset. It’s like speaking two languages fluently—each with its own rhythm, culture and nuance—yet both are part of who I am as a perfumer. Ultimately, it’s not about dividing my creativity, but rather channeling it in ways that are meaningful and coherent for each universe.

Creating a perfume is like acting. You create for others; you play their script. When I create for another brand, I work within their own universe to create their very own emotions. My own House also has its own universe and it’s where I can express myself fully because Maison Francis Kurkdjian is driven by my creative vision. This is how Marc Chaya, CEO & cofounder, and I made it to be.

Your current exhibition “Perfume, Sculpture of the Invisible” at Palais de Tokyo in Paris celebrates 30 years of artistic creation. Why was it important for you to show perfume as a legitimate artistic medium in a contemporary art museum setting?

“Perfume, Sculpture of the Invisible” is a deeply personal project that marks not only 30 years of my journey as a perfumer, but also my lifelong belief that scent is a true artistic medium—one that deserves its place among the visual and conceptual arts. For too long, perfume has been confined to the realm of luxury or commerce, often appreciated for its appeal but rarely recognized for its creative depth. Yet creating a fragrance requires imagination, emotional intuition and a sculptural understanding of time, space and memory—much like composing music or designing architecture.

The exhibition “Perfume, Sculpture of the Invisible” offers an unprecedented conversation between fragrance and other forms of expression such as video, photography and music, which have long been considered art forms, unlike perfume, maybe for how technical the work of a perfumer is. Art is about emotion, and perfume is one of the strongest vehicles of emotion.

Presenting this exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo, a key institution for contemporary art, is a way to challenge perceptions. It invites the audience to engage with scent not just as something to wear, but as something to contemplate, feel and interpret. Invisible yet powerful, perfume has the unique ability to trigger memory, shape atmosphere and move us—often in ways that words or images cannot. This exhibition is my way of giving fragrance its rightful place in the artistic conversation.