Sun Xun's "Reconstruction of the Universe" for Audemars Piguet
Loewe and Audemars Piguet are among the luxury brands showcasing their artistic sides during Miami Art Week.
From in-store exhibitions to outdoor displays, brands are teaming with artists on initiatives designed to inspire or give back. The world of luxury is increasingly converging with the art community, as the lines between the mediums become more blurred.
Art of the matter
Audemars Piguet's outdoor installation by artist Sun Xun interprets the way in which humans and other members of the natural world experience time. Under a bamboo canopy, animated films featuring Chinese graphic techniques will be screened at night.
This commissioned large scale multimedia art piece is on display at the oceanfront between 21st and 22nd Streets.
Roche Bobois is working alongside GreenGale Publishing’s Ocean Drive magazine for the charity “Furtif Art Project.” Six individuals, including model Heidi Klum and tennis star Venus Williams, have reimagined the brand’s Furtif desk.
These designs will be auctioned to benefit local charity Lotus House, with proceeds from Ms. Klum’s desk aiding UNICEF.
Desks designed for Roche Bobois' Furtif Art Project
In honor of Art Basel, the Loewe Foundation is presenting "Chance Encounters II," an exhibition of artwork by Irish painter William McKeown shown alongside works by Irish potter John Ward. This display will be up at the brand's Miami Design District store from Nov. 30 to March 31.
NetJets, which has been an official partner of Art Basel for 15 years, is teaming up with artist Rebecca Louise Law this year. Working in her typical medium of natural materials, the artist has created a sculpture out of 11,000 dried flowers entwined in copper wire, which will be on display at the aviation firm's VIP lounge during the show.
Rebecca Louise Law's "Growth" for NetJets VIP suite
The VIP lounge gives NetJets owners early access to the show as well as hospitality. After seeing a 6 percent increase in flights booked to Miami for the show between 2014 and 2015, NetJets expects more than 250 flights for Art Basel this year.
For Design Miami, LVMH-owned Italian fashion house Fendi is also courting its best clients, debuting a “Happy Room” designed with architect Cristina Celestino. This space will serve as the brand’s VIP dressing room, a first for the house, where it will host trunk shows and personal appointments (see story).
Christie's International Real Estate, along with nine of its affiliate brokerages, is returning for the fifth year as a marquee sponsor of Art Miami. As the official luxury real estate partner of the event, Christie's will host a booth at the entrance of the show, running from Nov. 29 to Dec. 4.
“Art Miami, one of the most heavily attended fairs in the world, has proven to be a unique and powerful marketing venue to promote both fine art and fine real estate,” said Rick Moeser, executive director of Christie’s International Real Estate, . “The audience is wonderfully diverse, beginning with the seasoned collector and luxury real estate buyer to the emerging market of millennial buyers, who are just starting their collections and homes in which to display their art.”
In honor of Art Basel, Hublot's Galerie store in the Design Destrict is hosting a tattoo parlor in partnership with London's Sang Bleu studio and its founder, Hublot ambassador Maxime Büchi. Kicking off the pop-up, Mr. Büchi himself tattooed members of the media and friends of the brand on Dec. 1.
Hublot's Sang Bleu pop-up tattoo parlor
While appointments to get inked are invitation only, the pop-up is open to the public on Dec. 2-3 from 3-6 p.m.
Perrier-Jouët also focused on the experiential for DesignMiami/. The Champagne brand took over the Faena District's Casa Claridge's from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 to tell the story of its brand founders' love story through sensory spaces and performance.
L'Eden by Perrier-Jouët
L'Eden by Perrier-Jouët, art directed by Simon Hammerstein, was also host to conferences, tastings, talks and dinners.
During DesignMiami/, Perrier-Jouët also unveiled a commissioned work by artist Andrew Kudless.
Lionheart Capital, the developer of The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach, FL is spreading a message of positivity with a laser light installation that can be seen for miles around. The large-scale commissioned piece by artist Yvette Mattern’s, dubbed the #RitzRainbow, sends beams of multicolored lights through the night sky from Lionheart Capital’s headquarters (see story).