Winner of the Grand Prix Design Parade Toulon Van Cleef & Arpels in 2017, Alexandre Benjamin Navet joins forces with the Maison and explores the world of flowers for the first time through its boutiques’ window displays. Taken over by an artsy sketchbook feel, these stunning window displays are part of a project that will continue through the year, joyfully bringing together pastel drawing and architecture.

Luckily for you, Azyaamode got the chance to dive deeper into this amazing project in order to immerse you in this journey.

How did your journey with Van Cleef & Arpels debut?

I met Van Cleef & Arpels’ teams for the first time at Design Parade Toulon 2017. I had never worked with a High Jewelry Maison before that, but it was a world that fascinated me for its imagination and creative power. I trained in industrial design: it’s very different from jewelry, but I can see links between the two. For me, jewelry and design are both fields of controlled, strict and precise expertise, yet ones that require out-of-the-box thinking to create exceptional pieces.

Tell us about your project with the Maison.

I worked on it in my studio. Each original artwork is especially made for the place or the city it’s in, and the best part about this collaboration was having the time to produce original artworks, and to think about a dedicated design in every boutique. I have a general range of colors, but I adapted my palette to every boutique in a unique way and that was kind of cool. I did extensive research on flowers and now have a great collection of rare books on flora and plants, though of course I’m no botanical expert. But those also helped immensely. They’re all pastel works on paper. 

I think seeing the final results is pretty satisfying after working on this for a while. I really love when I can experience my drawings in real life and it’s great to see what you’ve been working on privately out in the real world and to be able to share it with the public. Of course, I love to draw and create, but to give the work to other people I think means more. 

What is the element in Van Cleef & Arpels’ world that most speaks to your style?

The Maison is incredibly creative while being such a reference. They DARE many things, that is why I felt so happy when they asked me to work with them.

Also, I share the Maison’s passion for drawing. Its pictorial archives reveal the importance it has always allotted to the technique. For me, that love for drawing was the real starting point for our collaboration, and the first connection between us.

How did you bring it together with your own signature in order to create the art that makes this project so special?

I have been drawing vases for several years: I say they are like actors on a stage, elements in a theater production. But people often point out that there are never any flowers in my vases. So I thought it was funny and interesting that – when we met – the Maison invited me to draw some, leaving a lot of room for the energy of color.

The idea was to present flowers in bloom, but also the colors that come to life in spring. My palette is already rich, but I really expanded it to create drawings that are both a personal signature and the fruit of this collaboration with Van ­Cleef ­&­ Arpels.

How would you describe your collaboration with such a great Maison?

I am not sure I reached the final expression yet - what is really exciting is that it is still in progress. Every boutique and continent had their own needs so we are creating specific original artworks, carpets and set design for every boutique. It’s a constant dialogue, a Conversation – I guess it is the best way to describe this beautiful collaboration!

Now that you’ve added this project to your portfolio, what does the future hold for Alexandre Benjamin Navet?

I just finished an in-situ painted fresco on the facade of a monument in Toulon, in the South of France, with la Villa Noailles. It is an impressive building from the beginning of the 20th century. For the first time I had the opportunity to show my work on such a large scale. I really loved it and the public seems to appreciate it so I am thinking a lot about this type of project!

I also keep experimenting work with craftsmanship, object and sculpture - and producing artworks for several exhibitions. So, I guess the future is three-dimensional and on a large scale!

Article Written by Mirella Haddad