Luxury watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Charlie Chaplin’s iconic character The Little Tramp with a curated museum exhibition entitled Forever Charlie! charting the acting legend’s iconic career. Showcasing today at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York, the exhibition will run until May 4.
While the exhibition is being held in the Big Apple, the homage was actually curated by the Musée de l’Elysée, which is based in Switzerland, where the actor lived and later died in 1977 from a stroke.
Opening the exhibition will be Carmen Chaplin, the granddaughter of Charlie who is an actress and film director in her own right. Guests can expect to see an extensive photographic timeline of Charlie’s most memorable film and television appearances as well as archived pictures taken from the private Charles Chaplin Archive. “The Chaplin photographic collection contains about 10,000 photographs and negatives. In the context of this unique exhibition at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, we have the privilege to present iconic images selected for the occasion,” said Sam Stourdzé the Director of the Musée de l’Elysée.
Charlie Chaplin as his iconic character, The Little Tramp
The Little Tramp was a character created by Charlie when he was 24-years-old. The actor played the role throughout his career, with it being one of his defining characters, garnering his huge success in America. Characterised by his walking stick, oversized clothing and bowler hat, The Little Tramp is one of the most recognised comedic and pop culture icons in the world. The Film Society of Lincoln Center chose Charlie to be the first actor to receive an award for his services to the arts, a commendation that has now been named after him and was presented to current industry icons including Alfred Hitchcock and Martin Scorsese among others.
A long-time supporter of the arts and cinema, Swiss-based company Jaeger-LeCoultre have sponsored many film festivals and exhibitions worldwide but took a particular interest in the Chaplin retrospective as the actor actually retired and passed away in Switzerland at the end of his life, having lived there for over 25 years.
If heading to New York, put this exhibition on your must-visit list.
