Story Highlight
– Hublot names Jeff Koons as Global Ambassador.
– Partnership celebrates innovation and challenges conventions.
– Koons transforms objects into cultural icons.
– Shared history with 1980’s disruptive artistry.
– Expect upcoming collaborations from this partnership.
Full Story
Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot has appointed celebrated artist Jeff Koons as its new Global Ambassador, marking a significant alliance between two entities renowned for their boundary-pushing approaches.
This collaboration unites Koons, known for his iconic balloon-like sculptures, with Hublot, which has established a reputation for its innovative Art of Fusion philosophy. This philosophy is characterised by a unique blend of materials, design, and technical prowess that sets the brand apart in the timepiece industry.
Intriguingly, both Koons and Hublot have a historical connection to the year 1980, the year Hublot made waves in the watch industry with its inaugural timepiece, and when Koons began reshaping the landscape of contemporary art.
In his remarks, Koons stated: “Hublot and I have always shared fascination for the material sciences. As an artist, I always want to be able to try to transcend an object, a material, into having the viewer be able to find more meaning in the finished work than just its individual parts. Hublot uses all the technology of making master timepieces, and also uses the material sciences to transcend the object into representing something that all of us can find even more relevance and meaning. Hublot is a manufacture of depth, where materials are reinvented, movements refined and design reengineered with purpose.”
Julien Tornare, CEO of Hublot, expressed pride in the partnership, noting, “We are proud to collaborate with Jeff Koons. Few artists have transformed contemporary culture, turning everyday objects into global icons through scale, precision and uncompromising execution, in the way that Jeff Koons has done. This partnership reflects exactly where Hublot stands today: substance. It is great to share with Jeff what Hublot has always thrived on: tension between tradition and disruption, mechanics and emotion, innovation and craftsmanship, revealing that beneath the boldness lies extraordinary discipline; beneath the surface lies mastery.”
As anticipation builds, Hublot encourages the public to watch for upcoming announcements regarding this exciting collaboration.
Hublot has long championed its Art of Fusion concept, particularly under former CEO Ricardo Guadalupe. This motto references not only the innovative materials produced at its Swiss manufacturing facility but also its partnerships with prominent contemporary artists.
The brand’s journey into collaborative timepieces began in 2011 with a watch designed in association with renowned artist Ai Weiwei. Since then, Hublot has collaborated with various notable figures such as Richard Orlinski, Takashi Murakami, and Kaws.
