Ruinart was already commissioning artists in 1985 when they asked Czech artist Mucha to create a poster; each year they become more and more involved in the contemporary art world. But a singular vision of wood developed by artist Hein Eek definitively seduced Ruinart. Indeed, this Dutch artist swears by aged and recycled wood, leaving everything to imperfection. Working time, raw textures, and unexpected accumulations adds up to the aesthetic codes of his work as an aesthetician. And, while Ruinart hoped to go back to their roots and authentic values as closely as possible, Hein Eek made the decision to go back on a bit of art history found within the brand’s archives. Taking inspiration from wooden cases used by the champagne brand in 1769 to ship its bottles, the artist was able to create an atypical and unique model that, made of salvaged wood, is shaped like a trapezoidal box – adapted to each of the different bottles in the Ruinart Blanc de Blancs collection.
The lounge’s arch, the “Arche de la Maison Ruinart” constitutes a unique work of art in itself, majestically modern, created for the brand. 5 meters high and 7 meters wide, the arch uses the colors of Crayères, borrowing its form from the entrance to the Ruinart caves. Its center is home to 224 bottles of Ruinrat Blanc de Blancs. For the Ruinart Rosé 2013 collection, Hein Eek collaborated with the creation of an indescribable collection of cases. To hold four bottles in staggered rows, the artist imagined these boxes as losanges in movement. Without any right angles, the Champagne brand manages to offer a very contemporary champagne cellar. Put on shelves or placed side-by-side, these box sets together form a new object with fascinating geometry. Each of the box sets is signed and individually numbered, handcrafted in the workshops of Piet Hein Eek in Geldrop, close to Eindhoven. On sale for the holidays.
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