From May 26 to 31, 2026, the Comité Colbert will organize the exhibition ‘Hidden Treasures, 250 ans d’histoire entre l’Amérique et le luxe français’ at The Tisch Skylights, an event space on the top floor of The Shed cultural center in New York, United States.
From the Baccarat clock for Marilyn Monroe and the Chanel N°5 bottle to the Christian Dior New York dress (HW 1951), ‘Hidden Treasures’ shows the cultural exchanges and influence of French luxury in the United States through iconic objects.
The exhibition is dedicated to 250 years of cooperation between France and the United States. These ties already emerged during the American Revolutionary War, partly thanks to figures such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, and were strengthened by artistic and cultural exchanges.
The exhibition highlights the craftsmanship of France’s luxury houses and cultural institutions, and French-American artistic and cultural exchanges.
The sectors represented are: jewelry, fashion, leather goods, gastronomy, hotel industry, music, heritage, design and decorative arts.
In collaboration with Villa Albertine, Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch, JCDecaux and ISG Luxury Program, the Comité Colbert unites 65 houses and institutions. This includes Baccarat, Balenciaga, Berluti, Bernardaud, Boucheron, Cartier, Chanel, Dior, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Van Cleef & Arpels, Ritz Paris, the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles.
Exceptional objects, archive pieces and contemporary creations
“Hidden Treasures reveals the invisible bonds that unite France and the United States through excellence in craftsmanship, creativity and cultural exchanges. It is both a tribute to its heritage and a reflection on its future,” said Bénédicte Épinay, general manager of the Comité Colbert, in the press release.
The scenography, designed by Museum Studio, is structured around five thematic chapters: the founding encounters, the ocean crossing, the rise of icons, diplomacy and creative interaction.
Each participant presents a ‘hidden treasure’, placed in a transport box as a reference to the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.
Visitors can discover the following pieces, among others: the Baccarat Clock (1948), gifted by Arthur Miller to Marilyn Monroe; the Boucheron necklace (1899) with 621 diamonds, commissioned by Marie-Louise Mackay; the Bernardaud x Jeff Koons vase (Split Rocker, 2013, edition of 3,500); the Chanel N°5 bottle (a cultural reference to Marilyn Monroe); the Cartier lunar lander (1969, Apollo 11); the Christian Dior New York dress (HW 1951); and the Martell Cordon Bleu bottle (1936, Queen Mary).
About the Colbert Committee
Created in 1954 on the initiative of Jean-Jacques Guerlain, the Comité Colbert brings together 96 French luxury houses, 17 cultural institutions and six European houses. The collective covers fourteen crafts, from fashion and jewelry to gastronomy and design. The mission is to promote, pass on and express French craftsmanship and creativity internationally.
Source: Fashionunited