Horsing around at Hermes

Sculptures by Denis Mondineau and a painting jointly created by Philippe Dumas and Chen Jianghong.

The horse was the first "client" of Hermes, when Thierry Hermes, a young man from Germany, walked all the way to Paris in 1837, with the ambition to make products that served the well-being of horses, carriage and their coachmen.

Emile Hermes, the youngest son of Thierry, took charge of the family business from 1920. It was he who adopted the name of "Hermes" for the company, and created the first Hermes bag. Emile was passionate and almost crazy — according to Philippe — about collecting: paintings, books, souvenirs and other art that eventually filled an entire floor of his "office-museum", which became a unique source of inspiration for the house's designers.

Menehould de Bazelaire, head of cultural heritage at Hermes, compared the exhibition to "a curiosity cabinet".

By presenting an antique pram together with modern Hermes bags and scarves, a horses harness from France alongside one from Inner Mongolia, the exhibition initiates a dialogue across continents and through the centuries.

A virtual presentation of Emile's "office-museum" stands at the end of the showroom, offering viewers a glimpse of "the great treasure troves of the Emile Hermes Museum," says Philippe Dumas, who has drawn on it and the Conservatoire des creations Hermes to create "an enjoyable kind of disorder".

The Hermes Maison is more than just a store, it is a place to show "what we are", says Hermes' CEO Axel Dumas.

The exhibition will tour to Hangzhou from Dec 4-Jan 3, 2015, and Chengdu from Jan 15 to Feb 14, 2015.

IF YOU GO

The Hermes Horse

11 am-8:30 pm, Sept 15-Oct 11, 4F, the Hermes Maison, 217 Huaihai Road Middle, Huangpu district, 021-8013-7217 （淮海中路217號4樓）

hIstory ON horseback: (Left) Sculptures by Denis Mondineau and a painting jointly created by Philippe Dumas and Chen Jianghong; (top) a recreation of Emile Hermes' study; (bottom) antique horse riding equipments. photos provided to shanghai star