Beijing Visitor Guide

A Vibrant Tribute to La Grande Dame

Veuve Clicquot and iconic Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama are sending the world a cheerful message with a unique and colorful creation celebrating the House's new vintage, La Grande Dame 2012.

The original creation is Yayoi Kusama's vibrant tribute to "la grande dame" of Champagne, Madame Clicquot. This isn't the women's first encounter: in 2006 for a charity auction in Tokyo, Yayoi Kusama gave new life to an original portrait of Madame Clicquot by using her famous polka dots pattern.

Today, the dialogue continues between the House and the artist, reaching a new and inspiring milestone. Yayoi Kusama has designed the La Grande Dame 2012 case and bottle using her iconic symbols, flowers and polka dots. With Veuve Clicquot and Yayoi Kusama, a beautifully optimistic note is shared.

For Veuve Clicquot, it was essential to partner with an iconic and committed personality, much like the one who made Veuve Clicquot an emblematic Champagne house all those years ago. Despite being separated by 150 years and thousands of miles between their homelands, MadameClicquot and Yayoi Kusama share incredible similarities between their lives. It all begins with their well-to-do and strict childhoods. Both Nicole Barbe Ponsardin and Yayoi Kusama were well-born, and familiar with the rigidity that prevailed in the bourgeoisie of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Both women went on to counter that strictness throughout their lives, maintaining one goal: to gain independence and conquer the world.

Madame Clicquot acquired this independence when, as a 27-year-old widow, she took the reins of her late husband's Champagne house - all this at a time when women did not have the right to work or hold a bank account.

Yayoi Kusama gained hers when she left her native Japan to go to America at age 28. This emancipation helped define the bold character of these two extraordinary women, together with their creativity, daring and visionary spirit.

MadameClicquot then became one of the few women entrepreneurs in the world at this time. She revolutionized the champagne world with her major innovations, including the creation of the first known vintage in 1810, the creation of the first known blended rosé in 1818, and the design of the Maubeuge bottle which is still used today by most Champagne houses.

Yayoi Kusama boldly conquered the western art world, which was deeply masculine at the time. Yayoi Kusama also pioneered in her field to offer immersive experiences, notably with her Infinity Nets and Mirrored Rooms. She offered a new relationship with art, one where body and mind are integral parts of the work.

From Yayoi Kusama's work to Madame Clicquot's development of the House of Veuve Clicquot, these two daring figures demonstrate strong and flawless commitment. And today, their destinies converge in an unparalleled collaboration.

Finally, their shared dedication to their public makes the two women so close in spirit. MadameClicquot was driven by her customers' feedback with whom she exchanged thousands of letters, and Yayoi Kusama never ceases to imagine immersive creations that an audience can play with. And above all, both women went to great lengths to make those interactions relevant, beautiful and vibrant.

LA GRANDE DAME BY YAYOI KUSAMA: A MESSAGE OF HOPE & OPTIMISM

Yayoi Kusama's name for her creation, "My Heart That Blooms in The Darkness of The Night", is even more striking in the wake of the recent global crisis. The artist has applied her signature polka dots pattern as champagne bubbles that embody La Grande Dame 2012. Here, Yayoi Kusama and Veuve Clicquot's creative universes mix and mingle together in a sparkling, daring and optimistic collaboration.

TWO FASCINATING WOMEN TWO PARALLEL DESTINIES

For Veuve Clicquot, it was essential to partner with an iconic and committed personality, much like the one who made Veuve Clicquot an emblematic Champagne house all those years ago. Despite being separated by 150 years and thousands of miles between their homelands, MadameClicquot and Yayoi Kusama share incredible similarities between their lives. It all begins with their well-to-do and strict childhoods. Both Nicole Barbe Ponsardin and Yayoi Kusama were well-born, and familiar with the rigidity that prevailed in the bourgeoisie of the 19th and 20th centuries. Both women went on to counter that strictness throughout their lives, maintaining one goal: to gain independence and conquer the world.

Madame Clicquot acquired this independence when, as a 27-year-old widow, she took the reins of her late husband's Champagne house - all this at a time when women did not have the right to work or hold a bank account. Yayoi Kusama gained hers when she left her native Japan to go to America at age 28. This emancipation helped define the bold character of these two extraordinary women, together with their creativity, daring and visionary spirit.

MadameClicquot then became one of the few women entrepreneurs in the world at this time. She revolutionized the champagne world with her major innovations, including the creation of the first known vintage in 1810, the creation of the first known blended rosé in 1818, and the design of the Maubeuge bottle which is still used today by most Champagne houses.

Yayoi Kusama boldly conquered the western art world, which was deeply masculine at the time. Yayoi Kusama also pioneered in her field to offer immersive experiences, notably with her Infinity Nets and Mirrored Rooms. She offered a new relationship with art, one where body and mind are integral parts of the work.

From Yayoi Kusama's work to Madame Clicquot's development of the House of Veuve Clicquot, these two daring figures demonstrate strong and flawless commitment. And today, their destinies converge in an unparalleled collaboration.

Finally, their shared dedication to their public makes the two women so close in spirit. MadameClicquot was driven by her customers' feedback with whom she exchanged thousands of letters, and Yayoi Kusama never ceases to imagine immersive creations that an audience can play with. And above all, both women went to great lengths to make those interactions relevant, beautiful and vibrant.

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