Tell someone you’re going to a exhibition, and they might think you’re in for an afternoon of aimlessly sniffing vials of colognes, oils, and essences in an empty gallery.

But , the vaunted perfumer behind fragrances for Dior, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and his own niche olfactory maison, doesn’t do anything by half measures. His new show, explores how Kurkdjian has connected his unique creations to music, theatre, visual arts, and even the culinary realm over the course of his 30 years in the fragrance business.

It’s also characteristically Kurkdjian, who’s not one to seek the spotlight. The idea originally came from his business partner, Marc Chaya, CEO of Maison Francis Kurkdjian, who wanted to celebrate the perfumer’s career milestone. Kurkdjian, in his way, ended up with an exhibition that

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