Piaget unlocks Andy Warhol’s Time Capsule

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Never before displayed Piaget-themed treasures from Andy Warhol’s ‘Time Capsules,’ including Piaget watches collected by the artist,  were flown from Geneva and The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, and reunited for one night only at Annabel’s in London.

 

 

Thirty years after the death of Andy Warhol,  the ‘Time Keepers’ exhibition in London celebrates a partnership aimed at preserving Warhol’s unique artistic legacy for future generations.

 

 

The ‘Time Keepers’ display of precious watches, photographs and curiosities exchanged between Warhol and Piaget gathered a group for guests, including Yves G. Piaget himself, who first met Warhol in 1979 in New York, to talk about the life of Warhol, a legendary artist and one of the greatest representatives of the Pop Culture phenomenon.

Piaget CEO, Chabi Nouri, commented on the evening:

“It’s an emotional night for Piaget. It’s important to share this history, this legacy between us, not only to be able to preserve it but also because it’s important to create new memories. We want to keep creativity at the centre of what we do.”

Warhol’s ‘Time Capsules’ comprise more than 600 boxes filled with photos, letters, as well as some truly unique memorabilia – a plastic inflatable birthday cake signed by Yoko Ono, an invitation to Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ party, and the original stencils for some of his most innovate pop artwork.

Some of the Piaget-themed artefacts are fascinating too – as for example the now-empty-box of coin-watch shaped chocolates that Warhol was sent as a Christmas present together with envelopes full of interesting images and stills.

 

 

The watches themselves are as iconic at Warhol himself, including a secret watch concealed in a gold ingot; a watch fitted with the large Beta 21 movement, and a gold bracelet watch with a precious onyx dial.

 

 

Stored at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, the Time Capsules were Warhol’s way of freezing moments in time.

 

According to Jose Carlos Diaz, the Chief Curator of The Andy Warhol Museum, it makes the partnership with Piaget particularly poignant:

“For both of them, time is very important, Piaget because it has a long legacy of making these beautiful watches, and Warhol, because I like to think of him also as timeless. I think people are going to be really excited to see these Piaget artefacts because they probably won’t be seen for years to come.  For a lot of people it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and if they want to see some of them again they might just have to come to Pittsburgh to The Andy Warhol Museum!”

 

 

Material courtesy of Piaget Press Office