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Spring in New York conjures crowds, the smell of roasted nuts, blooming mosses and hydrangeas near Central Park, and much more. That seasonal energy is the inspiration behind Van Cleef & Arpelsâs third annual sidewalk install, âFifth Avenue Blooms,â which runs between May 1 to 31 in partnership with the Fifth Avenue Association. Paris-based artist Alexandre Benjamin Navet has conceptualized a multidimensional âunfolding gardenâ for the celebration. Between 50th and 59th Streetsâsandwiching the Van Cleef & Arpels flagshipâthe avenue has become a respite inspired by florals and âarchitectural garden details such as railings, carved stone planters from the 19th century, and beautiful alleys,â Navet tells AD.
âIt is an ode to natureâs wonders,â he elaborates. âI selected a fresh and vibrant palette to celebrate spring in New York.â The resulting floral boxes and benches (a beautiful blur of minty greens, sunny yellows, and sky blues) offer a different kind of garden: something impressionist, rendered, and built on the brandâs artistic ethos, which Navet knows from the ground up.
Beginning in 2020, Navetâs lively trompe lâoeil illustrations were transformed into decor for every major Van Cleef & Arpels flagship. Applying his multidisciplinary practice to the houseâs longtime infatuation with florals, what emerged were multiple boutique façades informed by oil pastels, Japanese watercolor techniques, and pencil drawings. For this âFifth Avenue Bloomsâ install, Navet tried expanding his technique to âpaper cuts and collages,â he explains. On one part of the avenue, a wavy blue-green benchâthat people can actually perch onâis surrounded by six-foot flowers. It sits in front of a Gothic church, bringing the idea of rebirth into springy actuality. When asked about whatâs inspiring him at the moment, Navet emphasizes that his ânew studio is now in the middle of a forest, so [his] connection with nature, flowers, and trees is far from over.â
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