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THE POWERFUL LIFE FORCE OF THE CRAFTS Today as yesterday, fertile diversity is a vital source of life. To remain open to the world is also the commitment of the Maison Vacheron Constantin, which has always been engaged in the protection and patronage of the métiers d’art There are certain journeys in which the destination is less important than the odyssey itself. Vacheron Constantin has forcefully committed itself to protecting time-honoured skills by ensuring their enduring existence and promoting their renown. The new edition of the Arts & Crafts & Design magazine is an opportunity to travel once more to the land of excellence. It unveils the ancestral Japanese art of Bizen pottery, as well as the radical work of Cape Town’s inspired cabinet-maker, James Mudge. It also offers a backstage glimpse on the restoration of a most precious carpet belonging to the Museo Poldi Pezzoli collection, as well as portraying an enchanting encounter with the Campana brothers who are fronting the renewal of the Brazilian design scene.
is a cardinal virtue faithfully cultivated by Vacheron Constantin. It guides our commitment to artistic crafts and to institutions such as the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Barbier-Mueller Museum Cultural Foundation. This mindset guarantees the longevity of our Maison, which has remained in uninterrupted activity since 1755. It breathes a little extra soul into our timepieces which are as many bridges spanning diverse cultures. This is particularly true in the field of ornamentation. A specific characteristic of the Geneva School, the art of decoration as it developed in Vacheron Constantin’s native city was nurtured by the talent and inspiration stemming from the varied origins of the prodigious artisans of the time. Ever since, ornamental techniques have found themselves at the crossroads of aesthetic currents and have been recurrently united at the heart of horological masterpieces.
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Over the years, the Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte and Vacheron Constantin have given a broad audience a chance to discover a range of crafts that are legendary or little known, extraordinary or unassuming, but perpetually fascinating. Whether renewing ties with ancient domains or exploring new uncharted territory, these embodiments of excellence epitomise a form of supreme creativity that is a world away from the disposable and the virtual. Today as in yesteryear, they continue to demonstrate that fertile diversity is a wellspring of what the French philosopher Bergson termed élan vital. A powerful life force reflected in the extraordinary garden of Prince Louis-Albert de Broglie, who invites us in this new issue to share his fruitful passion; as well as the Officine Saffi in Milan that unites artists from all horizons in providing an extraordinary panorama of contemporary ceramic art. A determination to remain open to the world
We wished to pay tribute to them by offering the public the “Travels and Adornments” exhibition in which the extraordinary pieces from our heritage collection retrace various major artistic movements. This invitation to explore the heart of technical and precious adornment is a masterful demonstration of Vacheron Constantin’s expertise. It also reveals how master artisans, across changing eras, have maintained an ongoing dialogue with the different artistic currents and influences in order to magnify their own creations. Inspired by Ancient Greece or by Art Deco, by flamboyant India or by industrial architecture, these timepieces are now part of our legacy. They tell the story of dreams of faraway places and are dedicated to making artistic crafts one of the promised lands of human genius.
*CEO Vacheron Constantin
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