In the iconic setting of the Fine Arts Academy of Brera, symbol of art and creativity, French crystal company Baccarat presente its new lighting collections “Lumières Out of the Box”.
In the Sala Napoleonica, accompanied by sculptures and casts, “Out of the Box” beautifully symbolises Baccarat’s ability to interpret its 250 years of heritage and history with modernity and glamour.
Three world famous artists – Arik Levy, Marcel Wansders and Hans van Bentem – created a new generation of lighting pieces inspired by the unique savoir-faire and mastery of the legendary Maison Baccarat.
In addition a prodigious collaboration with Maurice Ostro, owner of Ostro Minerals – renowned for its amazing blue Topaz gemstones
Daniela Riccardi CEO Baccarat
When Baccarat employees arrived at Milan’s Fine Arts Academy of Brera a little over 2 months ago to plan their shimmering installation for the city’s annual furniture fair, Salone del Mobile, they quickly came face-to-face with reality: There was no way to hang a chandelier from the ceiling of the 19th-century public arts school.
To find a solution to the problem, they would have to think out of the box—and that’s exactly what they did.
They used the design services of Cedric Martineaud from the French creative Agence 14 Septembre, who developed the oversized crate Scenographies for Baccarat
So four gigantic wood boxes inspired by the original packaging of the brand’s magnificent chandeliers have filled the space, showcasing the latest crystal creations from the 250-year-old French company.
Suspended inside large crates, in a nod to the wooden boxes in which Baccarat actually stored their works as they were transported, these beauties look both incredible and practical.
ARIK LEVY
” Exploring the Baccarat archives and being able to be inspired by its history, its skilled craftsmanship and its expertise is a privilege. Creating a new crystal object of light generates an emotion, procures a genuine experience and shows first and foremost the power of timelessness. ”
Tuile de Cristal
For this new collaboration with Baccarat, Arik Levy featured a new demonstration of the unlimited potential of his Tuile de Cristal concept imagined in 2013.
Through elegant plays on construction, the tile archetype offers any number of combination possibilities.
To produce new vibrant and radiant compositions, the tiles are now enriched with colours or a metallic effect.
And with the Futuredeco chandelier they are arranged over eight levels like a cascade of light in motion.
Between architecture and design, Tuile de Cristal composes a whole repertoire of infinite and constantly evolving solutions.
About Arik Levy
” Creation is an uncontrolled muscle ” according to Arik Levy.
Artist, technician, photographer, designer, video artist, Levy’s skills are multi- disciplinary and his work can be seen in prestigious galleries and museums worldwide.
Best known publicly for his sculptures, his installations, limited editions and design, Levy nevertheless feels ” the world is about people, not objects.”
MARCEL WANDERS
“ In an ode to the know-how of the manufactory’s artisans, I set out to celebrate the timeless quality of the Zénith chandelier, a Baccarat icon. Le Roi Soleil glitters and radiates throughout a kingdom of light .”
Baccarat is pursuing its collaboration with the internationally recognised Dutch designer Marcel Wanders by way of two new surprising creations.
Le Roi Soleil
A dazzling reinterpretation, Marcel Wanders has imagined a sphere of light. An exceptional creation that he has named Le Roi Soleil as a tribute to the illustrious monarch Louis XIV.
Marcel Wanders transformed Baccarat’s iconic Zénith chandelier by redesigning the contours and softening the angles. Marcel Wanders stretched and distorted the twisted branches, tassels and octagons to create a perfect heavenly body, a symbol of modernity.
The crystal shades are adorned with cut motifs and are inclined to better embrace the curves of the chandelier.
The result is the imposing Le Roi Soleil, the promise of a new era of light.
New Antique table
Marcel Wanders has imagined a stunning version of the New Antique vase he designed in 2014. Turned upside down and crowned with a white marble top, the re-invented object has been transformed into a side table.
A subtly concealed rechargeable LED system disappears for an even more magic effect.
As if suspended in mid-air, the lit-up table adorns the space around it with a captivating aura.
About Marcel Wanders
Dubbed by the New York Times as the “Lady Gaga of Design,” Amsterdam based Marcel Wanders is a prolific product and interior designer and art director, with over 1700 projects to his name for private clients and premium brands.
In 2001 Marcel co-founded the successful design label Moooi, of which he is also Art Director.
Hans Van Bentem
“ For me visiting the Baccarat manufactory was like a dream come true. Through this creation, I set out to show the sheer force of Baccarat, at once rich with an uncommon heritage and distinctly oriented towards the future. ”
Medicis XXL – Limited edition – 8 pieces
Drawing his inspiration from the masterpieces presented by the manufactory at the major Universal and International Exhibitions of the XIX and XX centuries, Hans van Bentem continues to shape the legend of crystal with a monumental contemporary creation.
Fascinated by the exceptional history and know-how of the manufactory, the Dutch artist known for his grandiose installations, creates an impressive reinterpretation of the Medicis vase created by Baccarat in 1909, inspired by the famous antique vase.
Erected like a real sculpture of light some 2.50 meters tall, this exceptional creation, adorned with 13,000 octagons, is a glorious tribute to extravagance and van Bentem’s artistic talent. Between newness and tradition, classicism and avant-garde, the artist invites us to a land of wonderment, where Baccarat makes the most extraordinary dreams come true.
About Hans van Bentem
Hans van Bentem is worldwide renowned known for his monumental sculptures, large installations and objects, both free work and commissioned, in public spaces, galleries and museums all over the world.
He is always searching for collaborations with traditional craft studios to make his contemporary pieces in classical materials, as if to freeze time and create the antiques of the future.
Maison Ostro
“ The combination of Baccarat and Ostro unique skills has given rise to the vision of the ‘Blue Topaz Chandelier’. The masterful craftsmanship and design in bringing together, for the first time crystal and 700 blue ostrotopaz® gemstones has created a magnificent jewel of light and colour ”.
Blue Topaz
‘Blue Topaz Chandelier’ is a result of the exceptional collaboration between Baccarat and the House of Ostro, renowned the world over for the beauty of its precious natural blue topaz.
Adorned with 700 topaz gemstones and thousands of crystal beads, the chandelier has been transformed into an authentic piece of bespoke jewellery.
Priced at $1.1 million, Ostro’s Blue Topaz chandelier for Baccarat is made of 700 topaz gemstones and thousands of crystal beads.
This magnificent cascade of light is dedicated to Max Ostro, the founder of Ostro Minerals and a passionate collector of Baccarat who dreamed of one day being able to realize this masterpiece.
Like a jewellery set for home lighting, the collection is complemented by a wall unit decorated with 75 ostrotopaz® gemstones.
About Maurice Ostro ( CEO Maison Ostro )
Ostro Minerals is the leading producer of the finest blue topaz.
Its founder Max Ostro, a pioneer in the gemstone industry who risked his life in the most inhospitable regions of the world in search of this hidden treasure of nature, was the person most responsible for blue topaz being recognised and appreciated so extensively that is has become one of the most popular gemstones in the world.
Ostro is partnering with high-end luxury designers, jewelers and artists to produce breath-taking, bespoke pieces with blue ostrotopaz® gemstones and is proud to partner with Baccarat, for over 250 years the manufacturer of outstanding crystal.
