On September 1, 1729, Nicolas Ruinart established the world’s first Champagne house. After almost three centuries, Ruinart has never stopped developing and promoting its very special and unique art of living. To this day, it remains as the most celebrated Champagne house in the world. And it should not come as a surprise that Ruinart has always committed to celebrating art in its purest form by incorporating it into its own story just like it did in 1896 when it called upon Czech artist Alphonse Mucha to create a poster – first company ever to commission artwork in such a way.
“Art is in the house’s very nature. We are continuing our commitment to art by supporting major contemporary art fairs, and giving carte blanche to an artist each year,” explains Frédéric Dufour, president of Maison Ruinart.
Who is the latest chosen artist?
It is “The Invisible Man” Liu Bolin, best known for his series called “Hiding in the City” a “silent protest” shedding light on the Chinese government’s policies in the years since the Cultural Revolution.
Disappearing is not the main point of my work. It’s just the method I use to pass on a message. It’s my way to convey all the anxiety I feel for human beings.
Ruinart’s CEO, Frédéric Dufour, has been a long-time admirer of Liu and working with him was an obvious choice. He had eyes on him for a very long time and now was the perfect time to seal the partnership.
For this project, Liu Bolin spent 10 days at the historic house in Reims to fully immerse himself in the Ruinart world.
“Four essential elements came together in my mind: history, culture, know-how and human dimension,” says Liu Bolin.
The outcome
“Reveal the Invisible”, a series of eight images showcasing the major players in the 300 years history of Ruinart. To do so, he selected the eight locations best representative of Ruinart’s history and know-how. “The specific corners I picked from the maison reflect the stories of my collaborators – Ruinart’s own employees. My works tell their life stories working and growing with the maison.”
- The crayère (chalk cellars where the Champagne is matured),
- Stairs going underground
- The vineyard
- The Blanc de Blancs bottles
- In front of the Mucha posters
- The disgorgement production area
- In front of the gyropalettes-riddling machines
- The Blanc de Blancs crayère.
And of course, he used himself as a canvas, camouflaging into the background.
The Process
“Each time before I begin working, I would try to find out about it by speaking to the people, and visiting the site multiple times to discover interesting traces. As such, my body of work speaks specifically to the history and social situation of the site I am working on. In fact, this sensitivity to the places around me prompted me to explore the art of camouflaging,” Liu explains
Liu also painted over the displayed jackets using Acrylic paint and his own body as his medium of choice.
Closing remarks – art as a skill
“We need to look into how art has developed, which actually mirrors the development of history in general. Nowadays, people are increasingly referring to ‘concepts’, rather than skills, when they talk about art. To ‘understand’ art is to be able to connect with it spiritually. In this way, I don’t think art is inaccessible. It has just changed forms.”
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