Image: Musée Angladon, Avignon
The Musée Angladon – Collection Jacques Doucet in Avignon will present ‘Au-delà du regard. Une traversée olfactive par Nathalie Saint-Oyant, artiste associée’, an exhibition that examines selected works from the museum’s collection through scent and textile-based installations. Developed by Nathalie Saint-Oyant in collaboration with perfumer Maebh McCurtin and IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances), the project will run from 12 September through 31 December 2026.
The exhibition is conceived as a sensory pathway in dialogue with works from the museum’s permanent collection. Rather than treating fragrance as an illustration of what is visible in a painting, the museum describes olfaction as a subjective interpretive lens through which familiar works can be approached differently. Saint-Oyant’s intervention will include visual artworks whose materials can be experienced through their scents, placed in resonance with a selection of paintings.
Textile is central to the project’s presentation. The museum’s official description connects that choice to Jacques Doucet, identified as a major Belle Époque couturier and the figure associated with the collection. In this setting, fabric becomes the vehicle for the olfactory interpretations, extending the exhibition’s attention from painted image to material, surface and embodied perception.
Saint-Oyant is presented by the museum as an ‘artiste associée’. In a statement published on the exhibition page, she writes: “This project was born from a simple conviction: visual familiarity does not exhaust the knowledge of a work. We must go beyond sight.” The exhibition’s title, ‘Au-delà du regard’, reflects that proposition by asking visitors to encounter works through more than their visual appearance.
The presentation also marks a collaboration with IFF and McCurtin, described by the museum as an exclusive perfumer. The announcement does not identify individual paintings or specify the number of installations, but states that the olfactory works will be shown alongside selected paintings from the permanent collection. The result is framed by the museum as an innovative approach consistent with what it calls the modern character of its collection.
A vernissage is scheduled for Friday 11 September 2026 at 18:30, before the exhibition opens to the public on Saturday 12 September. ‘Au-delà du regard’ will be accessible with regular museum admission at Musée Angladon, 5 rue Laboureur, 84000 Avignon. The museum’s published opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 13:00 to 18:00, with last admission at 17:15. The exhibition continues through Thursday 31 December 2026.
