When iconic New York jeweller Tiffany & Co. unveiled its latest About Love campaign, the world took note. Not just because the Mason Poole shot visual featured music superstars Jay-Z and Beyoncé, or due to the latter wearing the famous 128-carat Tiffany Diamond, but because it marked the official debut of an infamous artwork. Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Equals Pi (1982), a never-before-seen painting from the influential artists, which boasts Tiffany’s signature robin-egg blue, made its first public appearance in the campaign. Now, a few months later, Tiffany & Co. are doubling down on the art world with a new advent calendar that bears a familiar motif.
The new Tiffany & Co. advent calendar counts down the days to Christmas in a truly luxurious manner. Standing at four-feet tall, the new iteration is slightly bigger than last year’s and it makes for an imposing delivery. The white oak cabinet opens to Basquiat’s artwork, which is plastered over 24 individually wrapped Tiffany Blue presents.
According to Tiffany & Co., the new seasonal release draws inspiration from the visual language and subtexts of Basquiat’s style. Most notably, the advent calendar is detailed with design elements that pay homage to the early years of his career. A cult favourite, Basquiat famously painted on everyday objects such as windows, doors and refrigerators, helping to pioneer the recontextualisation of unremarkable items.
To pay tribute, the doors of Tiffany and Co.’s Advent Calendar are littered with mathematical equations, text, figures, expressive gestures and symbols, exemplifying what the jeweller describes as “his raw yet methodological approach to his craft”. While there’s no word yet on what the advent calendar contains, you can expect the gifts will be worth the wait. The jeweller did confirm that it will include “extraordinary jewellery including designs from Tiffany HardWear, Tiffany T1 and Elsa Peretti”.
Last year’s calendar included a Pavé Diamond Flower Pendant in Platinum priced at AUD$5,300, a Tiffany T Square Bracelet in 18k Rose Gold with Pavé Diamonds worth $22,300 and a Tiffany 1837 Makers 22 mm Square Watch in Stainless Steel with Diamonds worth AUD$5,800.
As far as how much the new Tiffany & Co. advent calendar will cost, it’s anyone’s guess, but reports indicate it could be north of USD$150,000 (AUD$200,000). But it’s not all profit. In the spirit of giving, $250,000 from the sales of this year’s advent calendar will go to Free Arts NYC, a non-profit that provides art and mentoring programs to underserved communities.
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