THE BLUE ROOM

The Waiting Room: introduction and inspiration

In one of his letters, the French poet Malherbe states that by the year 1613 Catherine de Vivonne, Marquise de Rambouillet (1588-1665) already was receiving her close friends at the famous Chambre Bleue-The Blue Room. The Marquise, who was tired and ill at ease by the court life at the Louvre Royal Palace, decided to withdraw herself from public life by opening the most intimate of the rooms: her bedroom. Thus, to have good and honest conversations, and far from the "rude" atmosphere at Louvre Palace, she distanced herself from mundanity. In her palace in rue Saint- Thomas-Du-Louvre, where the rooms were surrounded by a lovely light and the air perfumed as an eternal spring, she received her friends (most of them women) in her notorious Chambre Bleue/The Blue Room entirely decorated of blue brocade interwoven with silver and gold threads. In her bedroom, the precise place where she received her guests was the ruelle - a space between the bed and the wall- where she entertained her selected visitors and guests. The amusements, the brilliant conversations, and the great art of entertainment were a “must” at the Hôtel de Rambouillet: the language was curated and polite, and soon, the Blue Room was the place nobody could miss the visit (..but only if invited).

Far from the historical facts, Catherine de Vivonne De Rambouillet was the author of a revolution. Distancing herself from the Royal Palace to open her bedroom marked the beginning of the long tradition of the French salons where novelists, philosophers, and artists had conversations that gave birth to Enlightenment; by opening her bedroom, she transformed the “alcove” in a social, prestigious and virtuous place.

The Blue Room MANIFESTO

Inspired by Catherine de Vivonne, The Blue Room project aims to open a metaphorical yet tangible room where artistic disciplines dialogue. A catalyst for new curatorial projects in the field of contemporary jewellery art. A different space aimed to build bridges among artistic practices and share different artistic languages.

The Blue Room is meant to be a hub for brilliant conversations within the arts and in the field of contemporary jewelry.

The Blue Room is a project founded and curated by Nichka Marobin, art historian and independent curator, and founder of the blogazette The Morning Bark.