What Does Your Favorite Museum Smell Like?
Match the signature scent to the international art hub!
An employee holds a bottle of Gabrielle perfume, made by Chanel SA, in central Milan, Italy, on Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Folie À Plusieurs, a New York and Berlin-based perfumery, recently released two scents sold exclusively at the New Museum, which "are intended to embody the art institution olfactorily." The scents are described as incorporating “neon light effect,” “green,” “damp concrete,” “paper,” and “cold," in an effort to really capture the experience of waiting in line on the Bowery for the Sarah Lucas show (while wondering if you should just bag the whole thing and go get porridge at Dimes.)
New Museum-specific scents are all well and good, but why should other iconic art destinations be left out? Check out other iconic museums' full scent profiles, below.
The Met:
A hand-crafted Chanel No. 5 smell-alike with top notes of mothballs, hard candies, the unmistakable laundered starch of a Spence uniform, hot dog water, taxi runoff, rage, and crisp $100 bills.
Brooklyn Museum:
A bespoke version of Le Labo Santal 33 with top notes of Creme Brulee Juul smoke, slightly burned oat milk, the Q train at high noon, a $17 cocktail called "The General" that's infused with rosemary and CBD, exhaustion, and Glossier Balm Dotcom.
Neue Galerie:
A limited-edition Byredo Gypsy Water offshoot with top notes of hand-rolled cigarette, cold brew, freshly purchased Yeezys, lust, and crisp autumn leaves collected on a highly Instagrammed weekend trip up to Storm King.
LACMA:
An unique blend of Louis Vuitton les Colognes with top notes of sunscreen, sweat, brackish ocean water, ahi tuna from Sugarfish's "Trust Me" menu, smog, greed, and Tecate.
The Louvre:
A specially created Maison Louis Marie No. 04 Bois de Balincourt impostor with top notes of Gauloise smoke, freshly baked Proustian madeleines, a soupçon of dog shit, gluttony, and the industrial-grade plastic that must have enclosed Carrie Bradshaw's massive ruffled Versace dress on its transatlantic voyage.
