How do you distil two centuries of history into an exhibition? Guerlain did exactly that with Perfumer Visionary Since 1828 at One Bangkok—a multisensory journey where the maison’s perfumed legacy unfolded across installation, gesture, and scent. The first haute parfumerie exhibition of its scale to land in Southeast Asia, it traced nearly 200 years of French perfumery through scenographic staging, the precious raw materials behind the Guerlinade, and an art de vivre extending into scent, taste, and atmosphere.
Presiding over the occasion was master perfumer Thierry Wasser, joined by a constellation of guests including Mile Phakphum and Catriona Gray. Proceedings opened with a gala dinner at One Bangkok, transformed into a French countryside draped in white and gold. The menu came courtesy of chef Sujira “Aom” Pongmorn of Michelin-starred Khaan, who drew directly from Guerlain’s olfactory repertoire—the pickled-lime tiger prawn starter, inspired by Bergamote Fantastico Extrait 11, proved a crowd-pleaser. Performances blending Thai culture with Guerlain’s European sensibilities punctuated the evening.
The following day, Wasser himself led the tour, threading the galleries with insider anecdotes and witty asides. Two moments lingered. First, the Dames de Table at work—meticulously demonstrating the finishing tassel on each bottle, an easily overlooked detail that captures the house’s obsessive craft, set against one-of-a-kind anniversary bottles created with artists.
Second, the Olfactory Symphonies room, where Guerlain approaches fragrance as a composer arranges an opus. Partnering with IRCAM, the maison translated each Guerlinade note into a sonic signature, fusing sight, scent, and sound into a single sensorial experience.
The exhibition also marked an artistic encounter with Thai contemporary artist Terawat Teankaprasith, whose exclusive creation, The Guerlinade Queens, reimagined the iconic Bee Bottle as a living hive. Six detachable bees—each echoing a key note of the Guerlinade: jasmine, iris, rose, vanilla, bergamot, and tonka bean—encircled the fragrance, a contemporary meditation on the maison’s art of composition.
“We are storytellers, we are beauty makers; and I think for us, beauty is not a luxury—it is a necessity,” Wasser said. A fitting note on which to close two centuries of vision.
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