Audemars Piguet Debuts at Art Basel Hong Kong

Since its foundation in 1875, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Audemars Piguet has emphasized connections between art craft, and technical excellence. To give further expression to its pursuit of creativity and innovation, the brand has recently announced a long-term partnership with Art Basel, as a global Associate Partner with a presence at the Art Basel shows in Basel, Miami Beach and Hong Kong. Starting at Art Basel in Hong Kong, May 23 - 26, 2013, Audemars Piguet will welcome guests in a dedicated space within the show's exclusive Collectors Lounge.

Audemars Piguet Inaugurates at

Art Basel Hong Kong

Stepping into Role of Associate Partner, Renowned Watch Brand

Celebrates its Heritage in Vallée de Joux Switzerland

In the new space, Audemars Piguet will introduce visitors to its place of origin, Le Brassus, in the remote Swiss Vallée de Joux, and present a selection of its exceptional historic and contemporary timepieces. The display includes highlights from the brand's 2012 global touring exhibition, "From Avant-garde to Icon," which celebrated the 40th anniversary of Audemar's Piguet's groundbreaking Royal Oak model, which revolutionized fine watchmaking. At ArtBasel, visitors will have the opportunity to view a retrospective exhibit about this iconic timepiece, alongside other classic pieces from the brand's 138-year history. A watchmaker's bench and guided tours by watch specialists will complement the Audemars Piguet Lounge.

This installation will be set against a backdrop of spectacular images taken by British photographer Dan Holdsworth, whom Audemars Piguet invited in 2011 to capture the extraordinary natural scenery of the Vallée de Joux, one of Europe's most remote and pristine forest regions, and its cosmic relationship to time. Holdswoth depicted the valley at its stillest hours, bringing to life its ancient forests and glacial topography under the celestial presence of mist and moonlight to convey the ineffable temporal significance vested in the landscape. The link between nature and culture, manifested in the complex physical movements inside each Audemars Piguet timepiece, continues to inspire watchmakers today as they pursue their never-ending quest to give tangible form to the rules and rhythms of the natural world.

Commenting on the new partnership, Audemars Piguet CEO François-Henry Bennahmias said, "We are delighted to start this partnership with Art Basel, the world's premier art show for modern and contemporary works. The story of Audemars Piguet is in particular one in which art and craft are closely intertwined. We look forward to forging closer ties with the world of contemporary art and to developing a fruitful long-term collaboration with Art Basel."

Following Art Basel in Hong Kong, Audemars Piguet will join Art Basel's upcoming shows in Switzerland, June 13 - 16, and in Miami Beach, December 5 - 8, 2013.

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.

www.audemarspiguet.com

About Art Basel

Sited in Basel, Hong Kong, and Miami Beach, Art Basel stages the world's premier art shows for modern and contemporary works. 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. In addition to ambitious stands featuring leading galleries from around the globe, each show spotlight the latest developments in the visual arts, offering visitors new ideas, new inspiration and new contacts in the art world.

About Dan Holdsworth

Dan Holdsworth is a British photographer whose works are exhibited internationally. Born in 1974, in Welwyn Garden City, England, he studied photography at the London College of Printing, and has had solo shows at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, and Barbican Art Gallery, London,. His work has been featured in group shows at Tate Britain, London, and Centre Pompidou, Paris. He was short-listed for the Beck's Futures Prize in 2001, ICA, London. His work is held in collections including the Tate Collection, Saatchi Collection and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. In March 2012, Holdsworth published Blackout with SteidlBrancoliniGrimaldi imprint.

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