At the recent Art Basel, luxury Swiss watch brand Audemars Piguet presented artwork from Chinese artist Cheng Ran at its stand in the Collectors Lounge.
The work was part of a series of collaborations with artists to showcase the brand’s home in heart of the Vallée de Joux, Switzerland.
Combining Audemars Piguet’s origins with his own visual world, Ran created a video installation set in the Vallée de Joux which transported the viewer on a journey between landscape and soundscape.
Audemars Piguet was founded in 1875 and the company is still independently run by relatives of the two founders, Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet.
The great-grandson of Audemars, Olivier Audemars, Vice President of the Board of Directors, flew to Hong Kong for Art Basel and we spoke to him about the watch company’s collaborations with artists and how the company has managed to stay independent.
Text: Andrew Scott