Piaget launches its partnership with Art Genève through a new artistic collaboration with German artist Gregor Hildebrandt, whose latest work will debut at the fair from 29 January to 1 February. The piece draws inspiration from Piaget’s enduring relationship with Andy Warhol, reaffirming the Maison’s long-standing dialogue between fine watchmaking and contemporary art.As sponsor of the Prix Solo Art Genève – Piaget, awarded to the most outstanding gallery booth at the fair, Piaget continues a tradition rooted in creativity and innovation. The Maison’s artistic legacy dates back to the 1960s, when Yves Piaget cultivated close relationships with leading artists including Salvador Dalí, Arman, Hans Erni and Alberto Rizzo, resulting in bold, expressive timepieces that blurred the boundaries between art and horology.
Among Piaget’s most iconic admirers was Andy Warhol himself. Today, an ongoing partnership with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts ensures his creative influence remains a vital part of the Maison’s cultural universe. This relationship also informs the design of the Piaget space at Art Genève, conceived by French designer Jérémy Pradier-Jeauneau, which features Hildebrandt’s new work.
Hildebrandt’s collaboration with Piaget began with a chance encounter with a Piaget Andy Warhol watch. Struck by its vivid colours – particularly the tiger’s eye motif – the artist was inspired to create a work using magnetic audio cassette tapes recorded with David Bowie’s song “Andy Warhol.”
Each strip of tape is meticulously placed, echoing the precise setting of the tiger’s eye stone in the iconic watch. “The colourfulness of the tiger’s eye and the faceted tones of the cassette tape create a powerful synergy,” Hildebrandt explains. His work explores time as both fleeting and permanent, combining stored sound and poetry with visual composition. “My approach is conceptual – poetry and music are preserved on magnetic tape. Oil paint is far older, yet I still find pleasure in looking at paintings made with it.” With this new collaboration, Piaget once again affirms its role as a cultural connector, where art, design and haute horlogerie intersect in a shared exploration of time, creativity and enduring style.
Gregor Hildebrandt’s assistant, Stefan, is an avid watch collector with a keen eye for auctions and exceptional timepieces. Whenever he comes across a remarkable watch, he instinctively imagines which friend or colleague it might suit. When Stefan discovered the Piaget “Andy Warhol” watch featuring a striking tiger’s eye dial, one name immediately came to mind: Gregor Hildebrandt. A long-time admirer of Andy Warhol, Hildebrandt has also previously worked extensively with tiger’s eye, making the watch feel uncannily personal. Half in jest, Stefan told Gregor he had found the perfect watch for him – albeit one priced at no less than CHF 56,000. The idea lingered. Intrigued by the object and its layered cultural references, Hildebrandt replied that he would transform the watch into a work of art.
ABOUT PIAGET
Piaget epitomizes daring creativity a quality that has continued to permeate through the Maison since its beginnings in 1874. From his frst workshop in La Cote-aux-Fees, Georges-Edouard Piaget devoted himself to crafting high-precision movements in a feat that formed the very foundations of our pioneering name. In the late 1950s, Piaget unveiled the ultra-thin movements that would later become the Maison’s trademark and the cornerstone of the Altiplano collection. As a true innovator of the watch and jewellery world, Piaget strongly believed in creativity and artistic values. It is within the walls of our Ateliers de l’Extraordinaire where master artisans continue to harness rare skills that have been preserved and perfected from generation to generation, transforming gold, stones and precious gems into dazzling works of art. Through its pursuit of masterful craftsmanship, the Maison has created emblems of daring excellence channeled into its collections including Altiplano, Piaget Polo, Limelight Gala, Possession, Piaget Sunlight, Piaget Rose and Extremely Piaget.
