September 19, 2024

Particularly meaningful to Hedi Slimane, the Celine Bijoux D’Artistes Project is intended as a compendium of artworks by the greatest artists in the history of the avant-garde. These jewellery pieces, crafted in silver or vermeil, are custom produced in a very limited series of 50.

Following the “Compressions César Project” in 2020 and the “Louise Nevelson Project” in 2022, Celine now dedicates this new chapter to Jean Arp. This unprecedented jewel, faithfully reflecting the sculptor’s original artwork, is an exclusive made-to-order edition in collaboration with the Fondation Arp.

Arp was a founding member of the Dada movement. A poet and sculptor, he was among the first artists to explore abstract forms through a visual language inspired by the spontaneity of nature. Arp drew “what rests, sails, matures, ascends, falls,” seeking balance between height and depth, light and darkness, the eternal and the ephemeral. In the 1950s, he created a series inspired by several trips to Greece. With these sculptures, titled “Ptolemée,” volume and void meet in perfect harmony as yin and yang in the round. Completed in 1958, “Ptolemée II” builds upon “Ptolemée I” with Arp adding an arm to its rounded form. Today, “Ptolemée II” can still be found at the artist’s home-atelier in Clamart, where the Fondation Arp is located, and has been exhibited in the most prestigious museums around the world. 

As with César and Nevelson, Hedi Slimane chose Arp for the uniqueness of his work. This jewellery series highlights both the artist’s technique and signature. The jewellery adaptation of “Ptolemée II” required numerous attempts at casting to recreate fullness, curves, and negative space of this sculpture in the round that shifts in perception according to the point of view.

This piece is available in vermeil and in 925 sterling silver. Its adjustable clasp allows the rounded link chain (in silver or vermeil) to be worn either long as a sautoir or short as a double tour. Once the clasp is retracted, it can be placed vertically, like a work of art.

The name Arp is engraved under the pendant. The Celine logo and the number of each handcrafted jewellery pieces are engraved on the clasp. This limited series is numbered from 1 to 50 for the vermeil pieces and from 1 to 50 for those in silver.

The box draws from the concept of transport crates used to carry artworks. It is crafted from pinewood and hot-engraved with Jean Arp’s name, while its underside is laser-engraved with “Celine Paris Arp Project” along with its edition number. The case’s interior design provides an ideal support for displaying the jewel.