IAO Collections
Perfume and Book Reference Library and archive
Since 2021—ongoing
About IAO Collections
The IAO Collections present an set of accessible reference libraries that collect books, perfumes, aromatic objects, and ephemera related to scent, with an emphasis on 20th century perfume and olfactory art.
The objects in the IAO Collectons have been gathered since the Institute for Art and Olfaction held its first public event in 2012. In early 2021, the collections received a substantial influx of materials bequeathed by Conor McTeague – a friend of the IAO and an irreplaceable advocate for the cultural value of perfume. It is in his honor that we embarked upon the project of cataloging his donation of over a thousand perfumes, and incorporating them into our existing collection.
Between 2021 and 2023, a team of volunteers led by Daniel Krasofki (with the input of Saskia Wilson-Brown, Minetta Rogers, Julianne Lee, and members of the IAO community) painstakingly entered every bit of information that was publicly accessible.
In 2022, the collection was conceptually expanded with the insight of Anna Gerber (Hurry Up We’re Dreaming), and between 2023 and 2025, the team was joined by Charles Rosenberg, who oversaw the process of organizing our books into a formal reference library, using the Library of Congress Classification system. Since 2025, the collections are managed by the IAO staff and occasional volunteers, under the oversight of Daniel Krasofski.
The result is an interconnected constellation of books, perfumes, aromatic artifacts, scent wheels, board games, artist publications, and other scent-related ephemera. Our collection emphasizes 2oth century perfumery, popular material culture, experimental applications (olfactory art), and – most importantly – the overall creative potential of smell.
Our collection currently holds:
| 1,630+ | Perfumes |
| 720+ | Books and artist publications |
| 100+ | Raw reference aromatics |
| 1,500+ | Aromatic materials |
Links
+ View full collections data on Google Sheets
+ View partial book collection data on LibraryThing
+ View IAO organ data, in a Google Sheet
ECOSYSTEM OF KNOWLEDGE
The IAO Collection aims to play a part in a larger ecosystem of knowledge. Some other collections, archives and libraries of note include the following organizations.
The Aftel Archive
Berkeley, USA
The Annette Green Fragrance Archive at FIDM
Los Angeles, USA
The Osmothèque
Versailles, France
Musée International de la Parfumerie
Grasse, France
Museu del Perfume
Barcelona, Spain
Museo del Profumo
Milan, Italy
The Perfume Museum by Reem Abu Issa
Doha, Qatar
Perfume House, at Al Shindagha Museum
Dubai, UAE
PHOTOS FROM THE PROCESS
TEAM
The IAO Library is overseen by the IAO team, in alphabetical order:
Daniel Krasofski – Lab Manager
Julianne Lee – Director of Projects
Lucas Cuevas – Lab and Inventory Assistant
Minetta Rogers – Director of Programs
Saskia Wilson-Brown – Executive Director
With the help of amazing people, past and present:
Chelley Maple
Chloe Gordon
Connie DiPronio
Devon Courtney Knight
Dusty Howard
Elizabeth Connors
Elliot Roth
Kevi Walsh
Max Sternbaum
Rhiannon McGavin
Shelley Arnold
Simon Lee
Sofia Ehrich
And special thanks to:
Anna Gerber
Charles Rosenberg
Daniel P Murphy
Shelley Ray
Maxxe Sternbaum
Megan Sallabedra