CARTIER: Melbourne Winter Masterpieces is an exhibition of elegance and enduring legacy

Featuring nearly 400 exquisite jewels, timepieces and precious objects, the 2026 Melbourne Winter Masterpieces® presentation, CARTIER, traces the evolution of the maison’s enduring legacy. Remix founder Tim Phin was in Melbourne for the exhibition’s opening at the National Gallery of Victoria last week—here’s what to expect.

Arriving direct from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, this adapted and expanded presentation is exclusive to Melbourne’s iconic NGV. Taking residence at the gallery until October, CARTIER also marks the largest exhibition on the jewellery maison ever staged in Australia.

This is a showcase of unparalleled craftsmanship: think rare archival materials—from sketchbooks to original drawings—to a dazzling selection of Cartier creations. The exhibition features hundreds of works never-before-seen in the country, including jewels owned and worn by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Rihanna, Andy Warhol, and Princess Margaret. It also includes show-stopping works from the V&A and Cartier Collection, as well as key loans from prestigious museums, international collections and private lenders.

The exhibition charts the evolution and legacy of the maison, including its transformation at the turn of the 20th century by brothers Louis, Pierre and Jacques Cartier: grandsons of the house’s founder, Louis-François Cartier. With an illustrious client list of royalty and aristocracy, Cartier has been described as “the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers”. Cartier’s reputation later broadened, with the input of leading creatives from cinema, music and fashion leading to a stylistic transformation in the 21st century.

A major highlight of the exhibition is the collection of more than 30 tiaras, representing the pinnacle of Cartier’s artistic excellence. Standouts include the celebrated Scroll tiara (1902), worn by Lady Clementine Churchill at the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and by Rihanna on the cover of W Magazine in 2016; two turquoise and diamond tiaras, worn by famed socialite sisters Lady Nancy Astor and Lady Phyllis Brand; and the Art Deco diamond and platinum Halo tiara (1934), owned by Her Highness the Begum Aga Khan III.

Other must-sees include a 1951 necklace—a latticework of diamonds and seven Burmese rubies—gifted to Elizabeth Taylor by her third husband, film producer Mike Todd; Cartier jewels owned by Grace Kelly following her marriage to Rainier III, Prince of Monaco; a selection of pieces belonging to Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor; a 1938 brooch worn by Princess Margaret at her sister’s coronation; a curation of Cartier’s iconic Tutti Frutti jewels, named for their combination of carved rubies, emeralds and sapphires; commissions of Mexican actor, María Félix, including the unique 1975 Crocodile necklace (comprising two crocodile forms) and the 1968 Snake necklace (featuring 2473 diamonds and scales); and last but not least, a range of Cartier timepieces, charting the jewellery’s innovations in watch and clock-making.

The never-before-seen exhibition design is a collaboration between the NGV, Studio Sabine Marcelis (who has New Zealand foundations) and CLOUD: both Rotterdam-based multidisciplinary design practices. The exhibition also features an original soundtrack by Japanese electronic auteur Ai Yamamoto and Finnish composer Erkki Veltheim, blending ethereal salon music with electronics.

CARTIER has been created by the V&A in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria and in collaboration with Cartier.

The Melbourne Winter Masterpieces® exhibition, CARTIER, is on display at NGV International until October 4, 2026. Information and tickets are available via the NGV website.

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