Fragrance and Form
— Design and Perfume Culture
An exhibition about the idea of perfume and its materialization, from glass containers to labels, packaging and advertising. Curated by Andrew Howard and curated by collector Afonso Oliveira, Fragrance and Form reveals how design has been central to perfume culture.
Fragrance and Form is not an exhibition about the making of perfume. It is instead about the idea of perfume, and the materialisation of an aesthetic with which to envelope and market that idea. Perfume itself appeals to our sense of smell but its material embodiment is designed to appeal to our aesthetic sense which is why the objects designed to contain perfume; the often beautifully produced bottles and accompanying packaging materials, are at the heart of this exhibition.
Displaying an historic overview from the mid nineteenth century to the mid world wars period, the exhibition, based on the private collection of Afonso Oliveira, features examples that display the remarkable artistry of European perfume bottles and packaging, including from the Portuguese perfume industry.
All designed objects are the result of particular histories and material processes, contexts that make sense of their being and their form. This leads the exhibition to also explore glass as a material and as a container, as well as the art of perfumery and the chemistry of fragrance.
Créditos
Fragrance and Form:
Design and Perfume Culture
Casa do Design, Matosinhos
31.05 — 30.09.2025
Organized by
Câmara Municipal de Matosinhos
esad—idea, Investigação em Design e Arte
Curated by
Andrew Howard
Commissioner
Afonso Oliveira
Exhibition Design
Andrew Howard
Catarina Vieira
Art Direction
João Queirós
Graphic Design
Catarina Pereira
Leonor Pinto Félix
Administrative Support
Anabela Monteiro
Texts
Sónia Couto
Afonso Oliveira
Andrew Howard
Edition
Andrew Howard
In Situ Calligraphy
Luís de Bourbon
Photography
Fernando Miranda
Communication
Patrícia Silva
Production and Assembly Coordination
Sofia Meira
Production and Assembly
José Castro
Carlos Rocha
José Ferreira
Filipe Pinto
Pedro Carvalho
Acknowledgements
AchBrito
Arquivo RTP
BAGlass
Berço Vidreiro / Casa-Museu Ferreira de Castro / Câmara Municipal de Oliveira de Azeméis
Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal
Biblioteca de Arte e Arquivos / Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian
Câmara Municipal da Marinha Grande
Daniel Vilaça / Nortempresa
Divisão do Arquivo Municipal / Câmara Municipal de Lisboa
Divisão Municipal de Arquivo Histórico / Museu e Bibliotecas do Porto / Arquivo Câmara Municipal do Porto
Elise Sarda
Ministério da Coesão Territorial / Direção-Geral do Território
Nuno Coelho
Paulo Seabra
Vista Seabra
Vista Alegre