At the age of 24 he created his first perfume, Le Male, for Jean Paul Gaultier, which became an international bestseller. In 2001 he launched his tailor-made perfume workshop, going against the tide of democratization of perfume, while continuing to put his know-how at the service of the greatest fashion designers.

Prompted by the artists Sophie Calle, Christian Rizzo and Sarkis, he created his first olfactory artworks in 2003, the initial step on an aesthetic quest to break down barriers between disciplines and senses. Since then, he has imagined unprecedented olfactive installations and artistic collaborations. At his request, musicians Béatrice Ardisson, David Chalmin and Katia and Marielle Labèque, collaborated to create the musical signature of the Maison, inspired by Maurice Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte.

In December 2022, brought together by the love of music and perfume, Francis Kurkdjian and Klaus Mäkelä, cellist and Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris, offered a new form of interpretation of Bach’s Cello Suite No. 2. In March 2024, he created three fragrances for Philip Glass’ Cocteau Trilogy to accompany the suites interpreted by pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque and a sleek and enigmatic scenography by Cyril Teste and Nina Chalot. Recently, Francis Kurkdjian collaborated with pianist Yuja Wang and director Pierre-Alain Giraud to introduce an olfactory dimension to the VR experience Playing with Fire, presented at the Cité de la Musique and Philharmonie de Paris. Through his artistry, Francis Kurkdjian experiments with daring olfactory repertoires and invites spectators into new territories of expression.