Audemars Piguet celebrated the extension of its partnership with Art Basel, the world's premier art shows for modern and contemporary works, with a special cocktail reception on Thursday 3 December 2015. The cocktail party was attended by a hundred guests and was held on the brand's bespoke artist design stand in the Collectors Lounge of Art Basel in Miami Beach 2015.
Olivier Audemars, Audemars Piguet's Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors, welcomed guests to the event saying: "We are proud to be a global Associate Partner of Art Basel and very excited to be part of this genuine collaboration. Over the past three years we have been able to develop our artistic initiatives in the context of our partnership with Art Basel, and these projects have become a real source of inspiration for us."
After the speeches, guests had the opportunity to tour Audemars Piguet's 2015 lounge entitled Mineral Lab created by leading French designer Mathieu Lehanneur. The designs, shown for the last time at Art Basel in Miami Beach 2015, incorporated an eco-wall of living mosses combined with a bespoke sound installation named Wild Constellations by the Geneva-based artist Alexandre Joly.
As global Associate Partner, Audemars Piguet will continue to support Art Basel across all three of its shows--in Basel, Miami Beach, and Hong Kong. This multi-year partnership is a testament to both organisations' shared commitment to creativity and Audemars Piguet's strong will to continue promoting artistry and innovation. Over the past three years, Art Basel has been the global platform for Audemars Piguet's growing involvement in the world of contemporary art, building toward the launch of the brand's annual Art Commission in June 2015.
Since 2013, Audemars Piguet has presented innovative lounge concepts in the Collectors Lounge at all three Art Basel shows, inviting designers and artists to creatively interpret the place of origin of Audemars Piguet, the Vallée de Joux, in the Swiss Jura Mountains. In 2013, a lounge designed by French designer Sebastien Agnessens featured pictures by the English photographer Dan Holdsworth. For the 2014 edition of Art Basel in Hong Kong, leading French designer Mathieu Lehanneur unveiled a new lounge entitled Mineral Lab, integrating Measure, a panoramic film specially created by Austrian videographer Kurt Hentschläger. In 2015, Audemars Piguet presented an eco-wall of living mosses combined with a sound installation named Wild Constellations by the Geneva-based artist Alexandre Joly.
In the first three years of its partnership with Art Basel, Audemars Piguet also presented a number of breath-taking artistic projects and installations. For the 2013 Miami Beach show, Audemars Piguet worked with Galerie Perrotin on Curiosity, a giant pop-up inflated Swiss chalet by French artist duo Kolkoz. For Art Basel's Miami Beach show in 2014, Audemars Piguet helped to create an international sensation by partnering with the Peabody Essex Museum to co-present Theo Jansen's Strandbeest, animal-like kinetic sculptures which harnessed wind power to walk along the seashore in Miami Beach.
To coincide with Art Basel in Basel this year, Audemars Piguet unveiled a major new artwork as the inaugural Audemars Piguet Art Commission. Swiss artist and composer Robin Meier was selected as the first artist for the annual commission. Developed with the renowned guest curator Marc-Olivier Wahler, Meier's large-scale installation focused on the principles of order in nature. Synchronicity explored the natural phenomena of how fireflies found in remote parts of the world flash bioluminescent light in unison, an investigation of complexity and harmony that entailed in-depth scientific research and a challenging technological execution. Future annual commissions will continue to explore related themes, providing artists with the necessary resources and expertise to realise their works. Building on the successful projects of the past three years, Art Basel and Audemars Piguet will continue their partnership, sharing the same desire to move the contemporary art world forward.
Thanks.