AUDEMARS PIGUET TO UNVEIL LOUNGE BY SEBASTIAN ERRAZURIZ FEATURING LARGE-SCALE SCULPTURE AT ART BASEL IN HONG KONG 2017

Assembled tree sculpture to be exhibited on the Audemars Piguet lounge “Second Nature” at Art Basel in Hong Kong, by Sebastian Errazuriz

Hong Kong, 23rd - 25th March 2017: Audemars Piguet is delighted to announce that Chilean designer Sebastian Errazuriz will create the Swiss ’s evolved lounge for Art Basel’s 2017 shows, which will display a new and savoir-faire exhibition to be unveiled at Art Basel in Hong Kong. Audemars Piguet is a global Associate Partner for Art Basel, presenting innovative lounge concepts in the Collectors Lounge since 2013.

For the second consecutive year, Sebastian Errazuriz has created a lounge inspired by the Swiss watchmaker’s home in the Vallée de Joux. Entitled Second Nature, his new design has evolved from the previous year’s ice formations to a space made mostly of warm materials such as wood, which reminds the visitor of the vast forests in the Jura Mountains, symbolising Audemars Piguet’s deep sense of history and endless growth.

The concept of Second Nature follows the development of a tree, displaying its stages of evolution during the three Art Basel shows. Just as its roots anchor and hold its spirit, the core of Audemars Piguet stems from its commitment to a rich heritage. Simultaneously, it is through the extending branches and leaves that a tree is able to move towards the future, determined to grow and evolve in spite of the harsh environment that surrounds it. Second Nature is a testimony to the brand’s past, present and future but also to the act of recreating what nature generates so effortlessly, encouraging us to value and appreciate the world around us. The tree sculpture exhibited in the lounge has been created using both traditional and cutting-edge methods, from traditional hand drawn sketches to digital fabrication devices such as computer milling and 3D printing. The lounge in Hong Kong will show the initial stage of the tree with bare branches while the following editions of the show will see the lounge evolve with the seasons.

The Audemars Piguet lounge at Art Basel will continue to exhibit an exceptional selection of timepieces curated by the brand’s Museum. Including both vintage and contemporary Audemars Piguet , the 2017 exhibition at the Collectors Lounge will focus on three distinct categories of watchmaking art: complications with Perpetual Calendars, decorations and finishings including the Florentine hammering technique applied on the Royal Oak Frosted , as well as gem-setting savoir-faire, showcased by three exceptional High Jewellery timepieces.

Artist Sebastian Errazuriz said: “Second Nature should remind the viewer of the basic principles of Audemars Piguet’s watchmaking legacy including its home in the Vallée de Joux. The strong base of the tree sculpture is grounded on core values and the deep roots are embedded in history, yet the tips of its branches reach out and are always growing, exploring and searching towards the future. It is the perfect example of Audemars Piguet's commitment to helping artists and designers bring to life the visions they imagine.”

Olivier Audemars, Vice President of the Board of Directors, said: “We are delighted to continue working with Sebastian Errazuriz this year. Through his attention to detail and understanding of artistic excellence, technical mastery, tradition, innovation, and of course, nature, he has again achieved a design that transports the essence of the Vallée de Joux into the Audemars Piguet lounge.”

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Watch an exclusive behind-the-scenes video here: https://youtu.be/OH3MHEMc3lU

Notes to Editors Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet is the oldest fine watchmaking manufacturer still in the hands of its founding families (Audemars and Piguet). Since 1875, the company has written some of the finest chapters in the history of Haute Horlogerie, including a number of world firsts. In the Vallée de Joux, at the heart of the Swiss Jura, numerous masterpieces are created in limited series embodying a remarkable degree of horological perfection, including daring sporty models, classic and traditional timepieces, splendid ladies’ jewellery-watches, as well as one-of-a-kind creations. The famous 1972 octagonal Royal Oak, the first luxury watch to be made of stainless steel, is widely recognized as one of the most important innovations in watchmaking. www.audemarspiguet.com Audemars Piguet and Art

Pursuing its commitment to creativity and innovation, Audemars Piguet formed a partnership with Art Basel, supporting the world’s premier Modern and contemporary art shows in Hong Kong, Basel and Miami Beach. Audemars Piguet became an official Associate Partner for Art Basel in 2013 and the multi-year partnership is a testament to both organisations’ shared commitment to creativity.

Over the years, Audemars Piguet has continued to present innovative lounge concepts in the Collectors Lounge at all three Art Basel shows, inviting designers and artists to creatively interpret the Swiss watchmaker’s heritage and origins. Starting in 2013, French designer Sébastien Agneessens imagined a lounge featuring pictures by English photographer Dan Holdsworth. 2014 was similar in format, with leading French designer Mathieu Lehanneur unveiling a new lounge entitled “Mineral Lab”, integrating “Measure”, a panoramic film by Austrian videographer Kurt Hentschläger. For 2015, the lounge had an eco-wall of living moss combined with sound installation “Wild Constellations” by Geneva-based artist Alexandre Joly.

In 2016, Chilean designer Sebastian Errazuriz took inspiration from the ice formations and the beautiful snowy winters in the Vallée de Joux, creating an ice-cycle lounge acting as a metaphor for time, which showcased “Continuous Topography”, an original photographic work by Dan Holdsworth. To coincide with Art Basel in Hong Kong 2017, Audemars Piguet has unveiled a new lounge design by Sebastian Errazuriz and an artwork entitled “Circadian Rhythm” by Chinese artist Cheng Ran which will be shown at all three Art Basel shows in 2017.

Meanwhile, Audemars Piguet has presented a number of breath-taking artistic projects and installations. For the 2013 Miami Beach show, Audemars Piguet worked with Galerie Perrotin on “Curiosity”, a giant pop-up inflated Swiss chalet by French artist duo Kolkoz. For Art Basel's Miami Beach show in 2014, Audemars Piguet helped to create an international sensation by partnering with the Peabody Essex Museum to co-present Theo Jansen’s “Strandbeest”, animal-like kinetic sculptures which harnessed wind power to walk along the seashore in Miami Beach.

In addition to this, Audemars Piguet announced the Audemars Piguet Art Commission in May 2014 as a key piece in their expanding activities in the sphere of contemporary art. Drawing on inspiration from the craftsmanship and technical excellence inherent to Audemars Piguet’s legacy of watchmaking, the Audemars Piguet art commission supports artists in the creation of new works which explore relationships between contemporary creative practice and complex mechanics, technology, and science. By inviting artists to push the limits of technical virtuosity and scientific ingenuity, the commission forges a link between the traditions of Haute Horlogerie and art.

About Sebastian Errazuriz

Sebastian Errazuriz was born in Santiago, Chile in 1977 and raised in London. Since completing a degree in industrial design at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and a fine arts master’s degree at New York University, he has worked as a designer and artist living in New York. Errazuriz has the ability to make his audience reconsider everyday objects by altering their function through surprising and imaginative concepts. At the age of 28, he was the second living artist to have work auctioned at Sotheby’s and rapidly gained international success receiving Chilean Designer of the Year in 2010. Errazuriz’s work has been exhibited alongside the most celebrated architects and designers in over forty international exhibitions. His work has been included in exhibitions and collections at the Palm Springs Art Museum, Copper Hewitt National Museum of Design in New York, Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki, The Vitra Museum in Weil am Rhein Germany, The Museum of Art and Design in New York, The Bellevue Arts Museum in Washington The Mint Museum in Charlotte, the National Museum of Fine Arts in Santiago. “Look Again” was his first solo museum exhibition in 2014 at the Carnegie Museum of Art. Errazuriz is represented by Salon 94 in New York. www.meetsebastian.com

About Art Basel

Founded in 1970 by gallerists from Basel, Art Basel today stages the world's premier art shows for Modern and contemporary art, sited in Basel, Miami Beach, and Hong Kong. Defined by its host city and region, each show is unique, which is reflected in its participating galleries, artworks presented, and the content of parallel programming produced in collaboration with local institutions for each edition. Art Basel’s engagement has expanded beyond art fairs through a number of new initiatives. In 2014, Art Basel launched its Crowdfunding Initiative, in collaboration with Kickstarter. This initiative presents jury-selected art projects to potential benefactors, which include Art Basel’s vibrant audience and the Kickstarter community. The initiative has catalyzed much needed support for outstanding non-commercial art projects worldwide and so far has helped pledge over $1.4 million to creative projects around the world. For Art Basel Cities, launched in 2016, Art Basel is working with selected partner cities to develop vibrant and content driven programs specific to the individual city. Connecting them to the global art world through Art Basel's expertise and network, Art Basel Cities supports its partners to develop their unique cultural landscape. For further information, please visit artbasel.com. www.artbasel.com ©Audemars Piguet 2017