The fascinating history of luxury design, from hedgehog vases to Chanel bags
A new exhibit at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs traces the history of luxury—a concept that is evolving before our very eyes.
When you think of luxury products, you might imagine an Hermès bag or a Patek Phillipe watch in a glittering window on Fifth Avenue. But the human craving for scarce, beautiful objects is not a modern one—in fact, the new exhibit Luxes at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris reveals that it goes back to prehistoric times. The exhibit is an anthropological exploration of how perceptions of luxury have changed over time and perhaps more crucially, why people are so drawn to these things. In the end, luxury isn’t just about the frivolous whims of the wealthy; it’s a direct reflection of what a society values, but struggles to obtain.