Press release:

LUXURY WITH A HIGHER MEANING

La Prairie’s tireless pursuit of timeless beauty has inspired the house to support initiatives that strive to preserve and promote culture and science through a singular vision of beauty – through the prism of Switzerland.

With this in mind, the House of La Prairie has articulated a deliberate, meaningful Corporate Social Responsibility strategy honouring three areas of focus: Swissness, Science and Art and Culture, that, combined, speak to the house’s commitment to giving back – purposeful, relevant gestures of support and patronage, from Switzerland to the world.

ART AND CULTURE: AN EXPRESSION OF AN INTRINSIC LINK WITH ART

The world of La Prairie has been inextricably linked to the world of art from its very beginning: from the artistic effervescence of the Clinique La Prairie in Montreux to a pivotal encounter with contemporary artist Niki de Saint Phalle. La Prairie’s audacious spirit – its willingness to break the codes of luxury, to follow untrodden paths that surprise as much as they inspire – is the very same audacious spirit as that of the artist: explorer, pioneer, adventurer.

Just as the house seeks to create a world of timeless beauty, the world of contemporary art strives to push the boundaries of time. Art bears witness to the world in which we live and looks ahead to the world of tomorrow, creating something timeless and indelible.

In this pursuit of artistic expression, La Prairie established a partnership in 2017 with the world’s leading contemporary art fair Art Basel, which takes place annually with shows in Basel, Hong Kong and Miami Beach. For each edition, La Prairie commissions an artist to create an original art piece as a creative metaphor of the brand’s values through the prism of time.

“With this new initiative, La Prairie’s expands its cultural engagement exemplifying our long-term commitment to the world of art and culture while contributing to elevating our meaning,” said Greg Prodromides, Chief Marketing Of cer of La Prairie.

In 2020, as part of La Prairie’s Corporate Social Responsibility efforts, the brand proudly opens a new chapter in its support of art and culture by partnering with Fondation Beyeler, one of the most prestigious art institutions in Switzerland in order to support the preservation of four iconic art pieces for generations to come.

“As a Swiss house, we are particularly proud to support one of Switzerland’s most prestigious cultural institutions. With Fondation Beyeler, we have common values and the purpose to share art from Switzerland to the world. Bringing La Prairie’s support to a project dedicated to preserving iconic works of art from the passing of time gives even more meaning to this collaboration,” Mr Prodromides added.

Elaborating on the partnership, Ulrike Erbslöh, Managing Director at Fondation Beyeler said: “Our partnership with La Prairie is a catalyst for innovation, triggering an exciting opportunity for a creative dialogue. Through this patronage, La Prairie and Fondation Beyeler have joined forces for the Piet Mondrian Conservation Project with the aim of highlighting the importance of art conservation. Delivering the highest quality is part of the DNA of Fondation Beyeler. We always aim for perfection. And so does La Prairie.”

ART CONSERVATION AT FONDATION BEYELER

Founded in 1997 by art collectors and gallery owners Ernst and Hildy Beyeler, Fondation Beyeler is the most visited art museum in Switzerland. The collection includes over 400 post-Impressionist, Classical Modern, and contemporary works. Situated in Riehen, Basel, it shows three to four temporary exhibitions a year that are devoted to pioneering artists or art movements, including Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, Alberto Giacometti, as well as Louise Bourgeois, Jeff Koons, Marlene Dumas, Richard Serra, Jean- Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol.

As artworks are subject to the effects of time, central to the vision and ongoing mission of Fondation Beyeler is their department of art conservation, which undertakes the vital role of ensuring ongoing cultural patrimony. Fondation Beyeler’s conservators sit at the frontier of preserving artworks for posterity, with their holistic approach going beyond the realm of art restoration. The aim of the art conservator is a multi-faceted one. It involves closely studying the unique attributes and properties of individual artworks, and documenting, analysing, and anticipating what the impact of time may be upon it. Equipped with this depth of knowledge, the necessary steps are taken to conserve the artwork, and thus protect, preserve, and display the original intention of the artist for future audiences. By carrying out their multi-disciplined approach, the conservators of Fondation Beyeler are not merely protecting art in order to prolong its longevity. They are ensuring the very continuity of culture and art appreciation.

“Art is an important part of our lives. It testi es to how people see and understand the world in which we live. It is therefore essential to preserve artefacts so we can remember, learn about and honour those who were involved,” said Markus Gross, Head Conservator at Fondation Beyeler. “We are delighted that La Prairie supports this project and contributes to raising awareness of the importance of art conservation,” he added.

UNCOVERING MONDRIAN’S MINIMALIST MASTERPIECES

Fondation Beyeler has one of the most comprehensive collections of Piet Mondrian paintings in Switzerland, ranging from important early works to the late classics of this 20th century master. The planning of a large Piet Mondrian exhibition at the Fondation Beyeler gave the impulse to launch a Piet Mondrian research and conservation project with the support of La Prairie.

Indeed, commencing in 2020, La Prairie will take on the role of exclusive patron of a two-year art partnership, involving the conservation of four Piet Mondrian masterpieces.

The four Mondrian paintings – Tableau No. I; Composition with Yellow and Blue; Composition with Double Line and Blue; Lozenge Composition with Eight Lines and Red – were produced between 1921 and 1938, and perfectly display Mondrian’s inimitable style and piercing, precise, and re ned approach.

In forming a distinctive visual language that shaped the artistic culture of the 20th century and beyond, Mondrian was a true original, fearlessly exploring the fundamental elements of art in the creation of something wholly new. His dedication to precision was all-encompassing, and his paintings sought to embody a sense of balance, order, and harmony in the world as he saw it.

In partnership with La Prairie, Fondation Beyeler will employ in-depth research and a multi-disciplined approach to ensure the longevity of Mondrian’s precious artworks.

Through this important conservation project, La Prairie is delighted to be able to further foster the notion of luxury with a meaning, which remains a central pillar of the brand and its ongoing mission. This unique opportunity to give something back to the world of art and culture, and also pay homage to the brand’s artistic heritage – greatly inspired by Mondrian’s minimalist aesthetic, geometric precision, and purity of form – is unrivaled.

TELLING THE STORY OF ART

La Prairie takes an experimental approach to art communication by creating a compelling digital content storytelling in the form of a journal.

Throughout a series of episodes, available exclusively on The Art Journal on laprairie.com which will detail and document the process of art conservation, various stages of the project will be unveiled, presenting a masterful process normally kept behind the scenes.

As The Art Journal unfolds and comes to life, La Prairie has the unprecedented opportunity to present the importance of knowledge, skills, science and technology required to conserve artworks of immeasurable value and cultural significance. This complex project presents a fascinating voyage into not just the subtle majesty of minimalism, but also the thought processes, practices, and creative rituals of an iconic figure in 20th century art.

ABOUT LA PRAIRIE

La Prairie is the leader in luxury skincare, present in 90 countries around the world. Synonymous not only with luxury, the La Prairie name evokes innovation, performance, high-touch service and Swissness — the purity, precision and excellence inherent to the extraordinary land that saw the brand’s inception in 1978. La Prairie endeavours to ful ll a quest for timeless beauty through the highest standards of advanced technology combined with exquisite formulations and elegant packaging — elevating skincare to art.

ABOUT LA PRAIRIE’S CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

La Prairie’s tireless pursuit of timeless beauty has inspired the house to support initiatives that strive to preserve and promote culture and science through a singular vision of beauty – through the prism of Switzerland. With this in mind, the House of La Prairie has articulated a deliberate, meaningful Corporate Social Responsibility strategy honouring three areas of focus: Swissness, Science and Art and Culture, that, combined, speak to the house’s commitment to giving back – purposeful, relevant gestures of support and patronage, from Switzerland to the world.

ABOUT FONDATION BEYELER

The Fondation Beyeler is a museum of modern and contemporary art founded in 1997 by the art collectors and gallery owners Ernst and Hildy Beyeler. The collection includes over 400 post-Impressionist, Classical Modern, and contemporary works. The museum building in the idyllic Berower Park was designed by renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano. Over 7.5 million people from all over the world have visited the Fondation Beyeler since it opened and with between 300,000 and 400,000 visitors a year, it is the most visited art museum in Switzerland. It shows three to four temporary exhibitions a year which are devoted to pioneering artists or art movements, including Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse, Ferdinand Hodler, Max Ernst, Alberto Giacometti, Alexander Calder, and the Surrealists, as well as Louise Bourgeois, Gerhard Richter, Jeff Koons, Marlene Dumas, Richard Serra, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol and Wolfgang Tillmans. The Fondation Beyeler also offers an extensive program of art education and events, with guided tours, workshops, concerts, readings and multilingual art historical publications.

ABOUT PIET MONDRIAN

Piet Mondrian (1872 – 1944) was a Dutch painter who is regarded as one of the most in uential artists of the 20th century. Within the strictest con nes of precision, and by limiting himself to only the purest essence and most fundamental elements of art, Piet Mondrian utterly rewrote the rulebook for the construction of the masterpiece. In doing so, his pioneering abstract paintings and compositions formed an aesthetic which would go on to shape the 20th century, and in uence every corner of the art world and creative industries, even reformulating the way we approach visual culture in its entirety.

From the Dutch pastoral paintings of his youth, through highly individual and iconoclastic interpretations of Post- Impressionism and Cubism, the evolution of Mondrian’s artistic style developed alongside his journey to Paris, and his exploration for a sense of self. By 1914, he was producing the paintings which cemented his stark and particular way to concentrate on the very essential in art, and carving a distinctive visual path he would follow for the remainder of his lengthy career. When asked about the creation of his Compositions, Mondrian claimed his approach was informed by an attempt to focus solely on the emotion, which the purity of line and colour create. The impact of Mondrian’s Compositions was immediate, and laid powerfully in uential foundations that galvanised artists and art movements across Europe. Indeed, those Compositions almost instantly established one of the most recognisable artistic vernaculars in the canon, which, while often imitated, were possibly never bettered. While other artists reduced, Mondrian puri ed, distilled, and re ned.

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