Audemars Piguet to Stage Shanghai Exhibition

Called To Break the Rules, You Must First Master Them, the exhibition at the Yuz Museum in Shanghai incorporates the work of artists with whom it has been collaborating over the past couple of years.

Among them are Dan Holdsworth’s beautiful photographs and Alexandre Joly’s sound piece Wild Constellations, both of which drew inspiration from the brand’s origins in the Vallée de Joux, a valley in Switzerland.

The exhibition also presents a new video work by Chinese artist Cheng Ran, representing his own interpretation of Audemars Piguet’s home in the Jura Mountains.

For this exhibition, internationally renowned designer Mathieu Lehanneur has created a stunning architectural installation in the form of a large-scale ring embodying a watch dial, with visitors representing imaginary hands.

Twelve rooms have been incorporated into this exhibition space to showcase the legacy and achievements of the Manufacture. Each of the twelve doors reveals a different facet of Audemars Piguet (origins, founding families, historical watch collections, collaborations with contemporary artists, etc.), and transports the visitor on a 141 year-long journey, from le Brassus to Shanghai.

Olivier Audemars, Vice-President of the Board of Directors said: “Audemars Piguet has always sought to integrate creative vision with technical mastery, as horology, artisanship and artistry have been closely intertwined for centuries.

“There are many parallels between contemporary art and the innovative approach at the heart of our timepieces and that is why we support creations of exceptional complexity, precision and experiential impact, mirroring the forward thinking and technical excellence inherent to our watchmaking.“

After Shanghai, To Break the Rules You Must First Master Them will appear in several other art capitals from 2017 onwards.