Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama – the ‘princess of polka dots’ – and famed champagne house Veuve Clicquot were originally drawn together by the likeness of their signatures: dots and bubbles. This led to the first collaboration between the artist and the luxury brand in 2006 when Yayoi overlaid a portrait of Veuve’s founder, Nicole Barbe Ponsardin (widely known as Madame Clicquot) with bright red polka dots for a charity auction in Tokyo.
Since then, the dialogue between the iconic artist and the French maison has never faltered. Rather, some 14 years later, the relationship has reached mesmerising heights with the release of My Heart that Blooms in the Darkness of the Night, an editioned floral sculpture that coils rebelliously around a magnum of Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2012 – a champagne that is intended to showcase the maison’s excellence.
The opulent flower sculptures with fantastical untamed tendrils are original creations that symbolise vital energy, love and celebration of life, says a statement from the champagne house. “[They are] a tribute to nature, cherished as much by Madame Clicquot as Yayoi Kusama.”
The new release references Yayoi’s ‘Flowers that Bloom at Midnight’ series (2009), a work that brought to mind animated alien flora from sci-fi and fantasy tales (think Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors).
As was the case with these monumentally scaled pieces, all 100 of the My Heart that Blooms in the Darkness of the Night sculptures are individually painted by hand.
Shaped with copper and resin, and coated with a pristine layer of shiny lacquer, the wildly colourful flowers and foliage unfold in a psychedelic palette of yellow, blue, green and pink. Each bears no less than 1000 dots and 250 hours of craftsmanship.
The exuberant union between maison Veuve Clicquot and Yayoi Kusama also brings to life a similarly themed bottle and gift box, pitched (and priced) for a broader audience. Both the limited magnum-sculpture duos and the special packaged bottles are now available in selected countries. Enquire here.