French photographer Juliette Agnel is taking over the workshop at L'École des Arts Joailliers for the 2025 edition of Photo Days, presenting an exhibition that resonates with Roger Caillois's mineral collection displayed upstairs. The artist has brought together a selection of photographic works centered on minerals including the Pulpí Geode and Flint, while also unveiling new works created within Sorbonne University's mineral collection, titled "La susceptibilité des Roches" (The Susceptibility of Rocks).
For several years, Juliette Agnel has been carving out a distinctive path in the French photographic landscape. Her artistic vision travels from the light of the skies to the depths of the earth, with her eye traversing the layers of the visible to approach the invisible. The stones she photographs transcend their status as mere natural objects, becoming presences that vibrate and reveal something profound about our relationship to the world. Through her lens, Agnel presents the living essence of matter to viewers.
The exhibition's location at a venue dedicated to transmitting jewelry-making expertise extends the attention paid to stones—not for their monetary value, but for their symbolic, poetic, and even cosmic power. The show enters into dialogue with the philosophical thoughts of Roger Caillois, who viewed minerals as natural works of art and narratives waiting to be deciphered. In his 1970 book "L'Écriture des pierres" (The Writing of Stones), Caillois celebrated minerals' capacity to produce images without human intention, defending the idea that nature itself is an artist.
According to Caillois's philosophy, certain stones carry a language—a form of primitive writing—through their geometry, veining, and colors. This concept aligns perfectly with Agnel's photographic approach, which seeks to capture the inherent artistry and communication within these natural formations.
L'École des Arts Joailliers, founded in 2012 with support from Van Cleef & Arpels, aims to transmit jewelry culture to the widest possible audience through diverse activities including courses, workshops, talks, exhibitions, books, and podcasts. The school's activities span three main areas: the history of jewelry, the world of stones, and craftsmanship techniques.
Since June 2024, the school has operated from a new location in an 18th-century townhouse listed as a historic monument. This expanded facility features workshops, classrooms, exhibition spaces, a bookshop, and a library, all dedicated to the art of jewelry. The Hôtel de Mercy-Argenteau, located on Boulevard Montmartre, showcases a long ashlar façade aligned with the street in a sober neoclassical style, representing one of the oldest private residences built on the Grands Boulevards and one of the few still preserved today.
The historic building is listed in the City of Paris's inventory of notable buildings, providing a prestigious backdrop for this unique exhibition. The partnership between L'École des Arts Joailliers and Maison Van Cleef & Arpels continues to support innovative presentations that bridge the worlds of fine art and jewelry craftsmanship.
The exhibition "Juliette Agnel – The Susceptibility of Rocks" runs in conjunction with "Reveries of Stone: Poetry and Minerals of Roger Caillois" from November 6-30, 2025, at L'École des Arts Joailliers. Located at Hôtel de Mercy-Argenteau, 16 bis Boulevard Montmartre in Paris's 9th arrondissement, the exhibition offers free entry and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 AM to 7 PM, with extended hours until 9 PM on Thursdays.
