Ruinart gathers artists in Lighthouse exhibition

Known for its inventive artistic collaborations, Champagne house Ruinart has gathered works from six bespoke commissions in a new London exhibition.

Dubbed the Ruinart Lighthouse, the exhibition will run from 9-11 February at The Violin Factory on the South Bank. The £35 entrance fee includes a tasting with chef de cave Frédéric Panaïotis of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, Ruinart Rosé, Dom Ruinart 2004 and Dom Ruinart Rosé 2002.

Among the works on display will be The Glass Calendar by French artist and scenographer Hubert Le Gall, whose Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Collection was unveiled at Masterpiece London last year.

Le Gail was inspired to create the sculptures after walking through Ruinart’s Sillery vineyards in spring, summer, autumn and winter. The works aim to recreate the sensation of the sun hitting the Chardonnay grapes at different times of the year.

Also featuring in the exhibition will be a paper sculpture by Georgia Russell reinterpreting Ruinart’s original account book. Tickets for the exhibition can be bought at www.ruinart.com.

Click through for images of some of the other artworks on display.

Dipping back into the house’s history books, Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek’s painted wooden sculpture takes inspiration from the fact that Ruinart was the first Champagne house to use wooden crates to ship its bottles.

French furniture designer Hervé Van der Straeten based his multi-faceted, silver-plated ice bucket on an 18^th century design. The receptacle’s reflective surface is supposed to reflect “the luminosity of the Chardonnay grape”.

Gideon Rubin’s slightly sinister faceless portrait of Dom Ruinart painted on cardboard will grace the entrance of the exhibition. The artist painted Dom Ruinart without features so the viewer is free to imagine his expression.

Also on display will be a new Champagne cooler created by Israeli industrial designer Ron Arad. The folds in the pewter sculpture were added to create intriguing reflections.