Oettinger Davidoff, Associate Partner of Art Basel for the third consecutive year, will unveil a newly designed VIP hospitality lounge in the Collectors Lounge at Art Basel Hong Kong. It will also unveil the most recent instalment of its Masterpiece Humidor Collection, designed by Paris-based artist Lison de Caunes.
Taking place 15-17 March at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, the third edition of Art Basel Hong Kong will feature 233 premier galleries, from 37 countries and territories from Asia, Europe, the Americas and the rest of the world and more than 3,000 artists.
Designed by Swiss firm Atelier Oï, the new Davidoff Lounge will showcase the activities of the Davidoff Art Initiative, Davidoff’s international art programme which supports contemporary art and artists of the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean region.
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The new Davidoff VIP lounge at Art Basel Hong Kong was designed by Swiss firm Atelier Oï |
The lounge will give expression to Oettinger Davidoff’s core values: the company’s respect for the natural environment, its support for the time-honoured techniques of premium tobacco cultivation and cigar production, and its embrace of the cultural heritage and contemporary artistic vibrancy of the Caribbean region. It aims to convey the feeling of warmth, luxury, and authenticity associated with the Caribbean and reflected in Davidoff’s motto, “˜Time Beautifully Filled’.
As the centrepiece of the newly designed lounge, a digital screen will feature interactive images from the Davidoff Art Initiative’s growing network of Caribbean artists and arts organisations, as well as the five international artists currently in residence at the Altos de Chavón School of Design in the Dominican Republic (see related story on the art studio’s inauguration below). An Instagram feed of images generated by artists and organisations linked to the Davidoff Art Initiative will provide a window into the programme, which since its inception in 2012, has worked closely with the contemporary artists across the region.
The Davidoff Lounge will also feature photographs by Polibio Díaz, the most recent Dominican artist to participate in the Davidoff Art Residency programme at the International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP) in Brooklyn, New York, in the fall of 2014.
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The Davidoff Lounge will feature works by Polibio Díaz, the most recent Dominican artist to participate in the Davidoff Art Residency programme |
“By focusing on our involvement in the world of art, our lounge will call attention to the cultural contributions of the Caribbean, a region which is attracting more and more critical and commercial attention in the global art community,” said Oettinger Davidoff CEO Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard.
“Caribbean artists frequently explore issues of identity, history, cultural encounters and convergences in their work, and these topics resonate beyond the Caribbean throughout the world. We are thrilled that their dynamic and diverse visual language is gaining more notice at places like Art Basel.”
New humidor collection by Lison de Caunes
During the Art Basel show in Hong Kong, Davidoff will unveil the first edition in a new humidor collection, Cave de Paille, created in collaboration with Paris-based artist Lison de Caunes. It will be part of Davidoff’s Masterpiece Humidor Collection.
Crafted with the traditional technique of marqueterie de paille (straw marquetry), this new humidor collection of three editions will showcase “Davidoff’s respect for materials and its dedication to creativity, authenticity, and luxury”, the company said.
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Cave de Paille will be part of Davidoff’s Masterpiece Humidor Collection |
Lison de Caunes crafts pieces from straw, described as one of the most humble and fragile natural elements. Her inspiration for the collection, she said, was the similarity between straw and tobacco.
Each of the three pieces in the collection will capture a critical moment in the life of a Davidoff cigar, beginning with the growing tobacco leaf for the first edition, Saison I, captured at the moment of picking: green, rich and full of life. Only ten units of Saison I will be available at Davidoff flagship stores in the USA, UAE, Europe and Asia from March 2015.
The second humidor in the collection – Saison 2 – will be revealed at Art Basel in Basel. It is inspired by the cigar bundles, aged to perfection for the moment of rolling: warm, earthy and subtly refined. Saison 2 will be available from June 2015.
To complete the collection, the third humidor – Saison 3 – will be unveiled at Art Basel Miami Beach. Available from December 2015, it draws inspiration from the smoke as it fluctuates upon enjoyment: dark, enigmatic and “deliciously rewarding”.
The inside of the humidor comes in a varnished okuméwood, chosen to preserve the individual flavour of each cigar. Each Davidoff humidor is equipped with a self-regulating system that absorbs and releases humidity as required, automatically ensuring the consistent quality of the cigars.
Capacity: 50 – 65 cigars
Size: 425 x 262 x 160 mm
Features: 1 Davidoff de Luxe regulator, 1 removable basket
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Paris-based artist Lison de Caunes was inspired by the similarity between straw and tobacco | |
Davidoff Art Initiative inaugurates new art studios at Altos de Chavón School of Design
In other news, the Davidoff Art Initiative hosted the second Davidoff Art Weekend in collaboration with Altos de Chavón School of Design and Casa de Campo on 11-16 February. The culminating event of the weekend was the visit to the new artist studio facilities for the Davidoff International Art Residency at Altos de Chavón School of Design, which is currently hosting its first five international artists through 5 April 2015.
Hoejsgaard said: “The opening of the Davidoff International residency programme in collaboration with the Altos de Chavón School of Design is a major step for the Davidoff Art Initiative. It is our aim to provide greater international recognition for the cultural community in the Dominican Republic. The second Davidoff Art Weekend brought together artists, curators, writers and supporters of the Art Initiative to experience the art and culture of the Caribbean region. This is another important step in our collaboration with the Altos de Chavón School of Design and Casa de Campo to help make our long-term mission a reality in the Dominican Republic where most of our people are employed.”
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The Davidoff Art Initiative Studios in Altos de Chavón, Dominican Republic |
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L-R: Central Romana Vice President of Administration Eduardo Lima-Martinez, Central Romana Corporation Administrative Vice President Leo Matos, Oettinger Davidoff AG CEO and Member of the Board Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, Altos de Chavón Cultural Center Foundation Founder Dominique Bluhdorn, and Premier Resorts & Hotels Chairman and CEO Claudio Silvestri inaugurate the new art studios (photo: Alfredo Esteban) |
The weekend began with a tour of the tobacco fields and Davidoff facilities near Santiago, where the guests enjoyed an exclusive introduction into the production of premium cigars from the crop to the hand rolled cigar. At Altos de Chavón School of Design’s Chavón Gallery, Rector of the School Stephen Kaplan led a tour of the current exhibition, Synergy: Artists in Residence (AIR) and Students, a celebration of the arrival of the first five Davidoff Art Initiative artists in Residence Program, and underscores the influence of AIRs on the students of the school.
Among other events, the weekend included: a tour of the school’s facilities; Open Studios of the new studios in Altos de Chavón, with international artists in residence Alia Farid, Nuria Montiel, Cathleen Mooses, Mathilde Rosier and Soledad Salamé; the Davidoff Art Dialogue entitled “˜Caribbean Art: Past, Present and Future’; a tour of Centro León led by Sara Hermann, Dominican art historian, curator and founder of the creative collaboration agency Estudio de Sur and member of the Davidoff Art Advisory Council; and a tour Zona Colonial in Santo Domingo led by artist Engel Leonardo – a recent recipient of a Davidoff Residency – with visits to Casa Quien, ASR Gallery, and Museo de Arte Moderno. The programme was designed to bring critical attention to the arts and artists of the Caribbean and Dominican Republic, and to celebrate the presence of the Davidoff Art Initiative in the region.
“We are grateful to be part of the inauguration of the Davidoff International Art Residency
Program,” said Premier Resorts & Hotels Chairman and CEO Dr. Claudio Silvestri. “With the programme’s commitment to cultural immersion and creative exchange, we believe that the participating artists will make connections within a global network while they become immersed in the rich culture of the Dominican Republic – while they also enjoy the wonderful Casa de Campo community.”
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Artists Nuria Montiel, Cathleen Mooses, Soledad Salamé, Oettinger Davidoff AG CEO and Member of the Board Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, artists Mathilde Rosier and Alia Farid |
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Stephen Kaplan, Secretary of Altos de Chavón Cultural Center Foundation and Rector of Altos de Chavón School of Design leading a tour of the latest exhibition |
The Davidoff International Art Residency is the cornerstone of the Davidoff Art Initiative and seeks to offer opportunities for creative exchange between the Caribbean and the Dominican Republic and the rest of the world. Going forward, each year, the Davidoff Art Initiative will welcome five international artists to Altos de Chavón School of Design to work on their own projects, interact with school students and faculty and travel inside the Dominican Republic.
“We are honoured to be working with the Davidoff Art Initiative and be part of this budding international dialogue between the Caribbean and the rest of the world,” said Stephen Kaplan, Secretary of Altos de Chavón Cultural Center Foundation and Rector of Altos de Chavón School of Design. “We were thrilled to receive the first five international artists who are interested in engaging with the social and cultural fabric of the community and look forward to a successful residency programme.”
The collaborating organisations intend the Davidoff Art Weekend to become an annual event for those interested in the arts and culture of the Caribbean and the Dominican Republic to gather together, network with each other, and immerse themselves in the arts and culture of the region.
