How La Prairie Supports Contemporary Art
La Prairie’s connections to the art world run deep. Even the distinctive cobalt blue glass that characterizes the Swiss skincare brand’s luxurious creams and potions was inspired by French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle, who shared a studio with the La Prairie design team in 1982, when the earliest Skin Caviar products were being developed. Saint Phalle, whose vibrant work is currently undergoing a renaissance with retrospective exhibitions in major museums, called her signature blue “the color of joy and luck,” and it has proven to be so for La Prairie.
La Prairie began sponsoring contemporary art at Art Basel and the West Bund Art & Design fairs in 2017, and since then the brand’s commitment to the art world has continued to grow, with creative collaborations tied to product launches in addition to steady support of emerging female artists, partnership with MOMA PS1 and patronage of Fondation Beyeler’s Piet Mondrian Conservation Project. At this year’s Art Basel, French digital artist Maotik partnered with the brand to take a deep dive into cobalt blue, with an immersive installation called “Sense of Blue.” The experience, in which the viewer enters a dark room that glows the inky hue of twilight, seeing nothing but a field of blue until a planet-like orb gradually emerges as a steady focal point amidst shifting light and shadow, creates a sensation of being absorbed into and cocooned by the color. “Cobalt blue is not completely blue, not completely black—it’s an in-between state,” says Maotik. “It is a very meditative color, and it makes you feel calm and relaxed. I wanted to create a space where you forget about your life for six minutes. I think art is especially important in the time of Covid because it allows you to escape for a little while and let your imagination go.”
Maotik’s striking work was inspired not only by Saint Phalle’s iconic blue, but by La Prairie’s latest launch, Skin Caviar Nighttime Oil, which marks the brand’s debut oil formulation, and the first time that natural caviar-derived retinol has been incorporated into a skincare product. According to La Prairie’s global director of strategic innovation, Dr Jacqueline Hill, the combination of this unique retinol with the brand’s Exclusive Cellular Complex (a formulation so secret that its components are produced in three separate labs) smooths out fine lines and wrinkles, and “not only boosts collagen, but works on the quality of the collagen,” improving the robustness and resilience of the fibers themselves. Trials showed a 60 percent increase in firmness after nightly use for 12 weeks, as well as an improvement in the skin barrier, which maintains moisture levels and bolsters the complexion’s overall health.
More firsts? “Sense of Blue” marks La Prairie’s first collaboration with a digital artist; it is also the first La Prairie art commission to be completely open to the public, with an ongoing life post-Basel, making a second appearance at Frieze Art Fair in London. “We wanted to take this art and what it stands for and share it with a larger audience,” says La Prairie’s global chief marketing officer Greg Prodromides. “Also, because Skin Caviar is our most important collection, it needed to big and a bit bolder and a bit more inclusive. It’s fantastic when we see the art in the pavilion of the lounge at Art Basel, but it’s important to us to open up that experience to others.”
La Prairie’s commitment to art, Prodromides says, has become increasingly important in the face of global challenges. “We are proud that La Prairie renews its commitment to art and art fairs every year, and enlarging that commitment in these trying times and extending our support to young artists we believe brings more positivity to the world. I would like consumers to know that in 2021, the house understands that there is an expectation that the company understands its impact on the planet and on communities and is doing everything in its power to protect those things. And a key element of that is our commitment to art and culture, doing our part ot ensure that we support art for people to enjoy today but also for generations to come.”
You Might Also Like
