Words Nicky Gray
Earlier this month, Boys By Girls had the privilege of being invited to preview the exciting new collaboration between the Centre Pompidou and iconic watchmaker Swatch. While Swatch and the art world are long term collaborators, the relationship with the Centre Pompidou feels particularly special, with both wanting to make art accessible to all.
Arriving at the Centre Pompidou just after dark, along with our fellow journalists, it felt thrilling to be the only ones there. Usually buzzing with throngs of tourists and Parisians, keen to learn about the legendary works housed in the museum, there was a real sense of calm and anticipation as we were guided through the five artists and their works that inspired the designs for the Swatch x Centre Pompidou collection.
Our guide gave us the background to each artist - Frida Kahlo, Vassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Robert Delaunay and Amedeo Modigliani - and their inspiration behind the pieces selected for the collaboration. Tales of twentieth-century Europe brought these characters to life and you could really get a sense of how they were projecting their experiences onto the canvas and in the case of Frida Kahlo’s work ‘The Frame’ aluminium foil. Declining to be drawn into naming which of Swatch’s interpretations was our favourite, we possibly hinted that Eiffel Tower by Robert Delaunay slightly had the edge, with its bold colours and depiction of the famous Parisian landmark.
A delicious ‘artist’ themed dinner, whereby guests were invited to decorate their starters and desserts with edible paints, drew events to a close. We left feeling very lucky to have experienced our night at the museum and grateful to Swatch for their continued efforts to bring exquisite art pieces to all.
The collection is now available online and in Swatch stores. Additionally, the watches can be bought at the Centre Pompidou boutiques and online.
Images courtesy of Swatch
