Beatriz Milhazes' 'Aquarium' Installation Debuts at Cartier Boston Boutique

Cartier has unveiled 'Aquarium,' a significant sculptural work by Brazilian artist Beatriz Milhazes, at its Newbury Street boutique in Boston. The installation will remain on view through May 17, 2026. This presentation is part of Cartier's 'Artist Meets Artisan' initiative, a program launched in 2009 that pairs contemporary artists with the brand's master craftspeople to create unique artworks from unused precious stones. The piece is an eight-foot-tall mobile consisting of 15 strands featuring an array of gemstones including diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, amethysts, opals, pearls, coral, turquoise, and black jade. Milhazes, known for her vibrant, abstract compositions, extends her painterly language into three dimensions with this work, which she describes as featuring 'fascinating elements dancing in the space with different rhythms.' The installation is designed to interact with viewer movement and light, creating shifting visual effects. Completed in 2010 after a two-year collaborative process, 'Aquarium' has previously been shown in Miami, Paris, and New York. Milhazes joins other notable artists like Alessandro Mendini, David Lynch, Takeshi Kitano, and Jean-Michel Alberola who have participated in the 'Artist Meets Artisan' project. The artist's career includes exhibitions at institutions such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Pérez Art Museum Miami, as well as participation in the Venice Biennale. Her work is held in major collections including MoMA and Tate Modern. The Boston presentation recontextualizes the boutique as a space for artistic engagement, blending commerce with cultural dialogue.