Champagne Ruinart continues to support contemporary art in London

Champagne house Ruinart is continuing its association with contemporary art in London through a sponsorship of Frieze and a ‘Ruinart hub’ at The Rosewood hotel.

‘Tribute to dom Thierry Ruinart’ can be seen in the Frieze Sculpture Park until 8 October

As ‘The Official Champagne Sponsor’ of Frieze London and Frieze Masters 2017, both of which run from 5-8 October in Regent’s Park, Ruinart will be opening its own branded Champagne Bar on-site at Frieze London, while Frieze Masters will feature Ruinart trolleys providing visitors with a selection of its blanc de blancs and rosé Champagnes.

Speaking about Ruinart’s return to Frieze, Frédéric Dufour, president and CEO of the Champagne house, which is owned by LVMH, said: “Frieze continues to be the definitive showcase of contemporary art on a global scale and we’re delighted to be returning to the fair this October.”

He added, “For Ruinart, artistic expression is a way to share our heritage and history and each year we give ‘carte blanche’ to an artist to do just this.”

Dufour also revealed that the house is working with Spanish sculptor artist Jaume Plensa this year, who he described as “one of the most important players in the contemporary art scene”.

According to Dufour, “Jaume was given ‘carte blanche’ to pay tribute to Dom Thierry Ruinart and has created his personal vision and interpretation of the Maison.”

The commissioned piece, ‘Tribute to dom Thierry Ruinart’, is made entirely by hand and consists of embedded letters.

It has been created to represent the physical aspect of Dom Thierry Ruinart through the texts that Jaume Plensa has transcribed, as well as “to portray him in a symbolic manner with energy and strength”.

In the base of the sculpture he has engraved two dates: 1729 and 2016. They are an encrypted message, linking the history between the foundation of Maison Ruinart and the creation of the work of art.

Visitors will be able to see the Jaume Plensa sculpture in Frieze Sculpture Park – London’s leading outdoor exhibition curated by Clare Lilley from the Yorkshire Sculpture Park – until 8 October.

In celebration of the Frieze sponsorship, there will also be a ‘Ruinart Hub’ at Rosewood London from 25 September to 25 November, featuring a retrospective exhibition of six previous artist collaborations, a specially-designed Ruinart Champagne Breakfast and Ruinart Afternoon Tea, and an exclusive Ruinart Champagne cocktail with paired canapés.

The artworks by Maarten Baas, Georgia Russell, Gideon Rubin, Piet Hein Eek, Hubert le Gall, and last year’s Ruinart Artist Erwin Olaf, will be displayed in the lobby and Mirror Room.

Key points:

‘Tribute to dom Thierry Ruinart’ by Jaume Plensa

On show until 8 October at Frieze Sculpture Park, The English Gardens, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4NR

Ruinart Bar at Frieze London

5-8 October 2017, open daily from 11am to 7pm

Ruinart Hub @ Rosewood London

25 September to 25 November at 252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN