Davidoff to unveil Masterpiece Humidor Collection during Art Basel in Hong Kong

By Patrick Lagreid From Half Wheel

During the upcomoning Art Basel show in Hong Kong, Davidoff will unveil the first edition in its new Masterpiece Humidor Collection.

“Cave de Paille” was created in collaboration with Paris-based artist Lison de Caunes, a straw marquetry specialist who is known for her work of restoring furniture and objects from the 17th century to the Art Deco period and by creating furniture, domestic accessories and wall panels to order.

Lison De Caunes Studio 1

The new humidor collection is crafted with the traditional technique of marqueterie de paille (straw marquetry) and features three editions that will showcase Davidoff’s respect for materials and its dedication to creativity, authenticity, and luxury.

Davidoff CAVE_DE_PAILLE_STAGE_01_9534

In a press release issued by Davidoff, de Caunes said her inspiration for the collection was the similarity between straw and tobacco. The first edition of the new collection – Saison I – will feature the tobacco leaf motif. The humidor utilizes a traditional dome shape, which will help to offer a subtle reveal of the gentle glow of the straw. 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. de Caunes collaborated with Davidoff through the entire creative process, beginning with the selection of the shape of the humidor to providing tailored details and working to create ways to evoke the journey of tobacco from the green leaves in the field to when it is finally ready to be enjoyed in the form of a cigar.

Davidoff CAVE_DE_PAILLE_STAGE_01_9724

‘Saison I’ will be available in limited quantities at Davidoff Flagship Stores in the US, the Emirates, Europe and Asia beginning in March 2015. The next two editions will be unveiled at Art Basel’s Basel and Miami Beach shows in 2015.

Davidoff will also be unveiling the new Davidoff Lounge at Art Basel in Hong Kong, which was designed by the renowned Swiss firm of Atelier Oï and will showcase the activities of the Davidoff Art Initiative, Davidoff’s international art program, which supports contemporary art and artists of the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean region.

Davidoff lounge Art Basel Hong Kong

The lounge aims to provide an expression of Oettinger Davidoff’s core values: the company’s respect for the natural environment, its support for the time-honored techniques of premium tobacco cultivation and cigar production, its embrace of the cultural heritage and contemporary artistic vibrancy of the Caribbean region. It is designed to convey a feeling of warmth, luxury, and authenticity associated with the Caribbean and reflected in Davidoff’s motto, Time Beautifully Filled.

The centerpiece of the new design is a digital screen that will feature interactive images from the Davidoff Art Initiative’s growing network of Caribbean artists and arts organizations, as well as the five international artists currently in residence at the Altos de Chavón School of Design in the Dominican Republic. There will be an Instagram feed of images generated by artists and organizations linked to the Davidoff Art Initiative that will offer a window into the program, which since its inception in 2012, has worked closely with the contemporary artists across the region.

Photographer Polibio Diaz will also have his work featured in the lounge. Diaz is the most recent Dominican artist to participate in the Davidoff Art Residency program at the International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP) in Brooklyn, New York, in the fall of 2014.

Davidoff Art Residency Polibio Díaz The Jungle 2014

“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 Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, CEO of Oettinger Davidoff, via a press release. “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.”

Art Basel Hong Kong runs March 15 – 17.

(All images courtesy of Oettinger Davidoff.)

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