Frank Gehry Hennessy decanter to go under the hammer in New York

A Hennessy X.O Cognac decanter designed by world-renowned Canadian architect Frank Gehry is to go under the hammer in New York next week.

Forming part of a spirits sale at Sotheby’s on 13 March, the decanter, marking Hennessy X.O’s 150^th anniversary, is expected to sell for US$15,000-$US30,000.

According to Hennessy, Gehry’s gold and glass design “mixes contrasting themes of movement and freedom of form to clothe the bottle in a second skin”.

The contours around the decanter are supposed to evoke the River Charente, which once carried Cognac barrels to maritime trading routes.

Gehry created bespoke moulds to bring his design to life by shaping 24-carat gold over bronze and glass set into crumpled metal.

Bottle number one in the limited edition of 150 decanters produced for the Hennessy X.O x Frank Gehry collection is on offer from the Asian American Business Development Center, with proceeds going towards helping the organisation as part of Hennessy’s ‘Unfinished Business’ initiative.

Launched last May, the initiative is committed to helping small businesses that were affected by the coronavirus pandemic to get back on their feet.

“It is a pleasure to offer this lot from the world’s biggest Cognac producer for charity. This bottle blends 150 years of Hennessy’s history and expertise with the creativity of Frank Gehry’s designs.

“The fact that this offer includes not just the commemorative decanter but also the mould used by Gehry to create his vision makes this a piece of design history,” said Sotheby’s spirits specialist, Jonny Fowle.

Hennessy X.O was first created in 1870 at the request of Maurice Hennessy, by master blender Emile Filioux.