Montblanc Young Artists World Patronage
This unique project gave young and upcoming artists the platform to present their name and talent to a broader public and the international art scene in particular.
The concept was to have more than 300 Montblanc boutiques worldwide act as a gallery and exhibit simultaneously for a single artist with one particular artwork for a period of almost 6 weeks. The common theme for the artworks is the creative interpretation of the world famous Montblanc star (see image below).
The individual "star"-works were reproduced and exhibited in the Montblanc boutique windows.The original artwork became part of the Montblanc "Cutting Edge Art Collection" - one of the various Montblanc initiatives to support contemporary art and demonstrate the brand's commitment and contribution to art and culture.
Montblanc presented 5 young artists from all over the world in 2005. The selection of the artists and artworks took place together with reputed experts from the international art and culture scene.
1. Nicole Wermers
Hintergrund Schneegestöber 2003
Born in 1971 in Emsdetten, Germany, Nicole Wermers studied art at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg and in 1999, she received her Masters of Arts in Fine Art at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London. From 2003-2004 she had an artist residency at the Delfina Studio Trust, London. Nicole Wermers lives and works in Hamburg and London.
In her collages and installations, Nicole Wermers explores the temptations of beauty and artificiality. She frequently assembles cut-outs from car, luxury goods and perfume and wine advertisements and creates three-dimensional works that combine elegant forms from the collected experiences of modern life. Her works are both aesthetic and useful and evoke contemporary reality.
Produzenten Galerie
2. Sophy Rickett
Bodensee 2003
Sophy Rickett was born in 1970. She studied at the London College of Printing from 1990-1993 and at the Royal College of Art from 1997-1999. She has had recent solo exhibitions at the Centre pour l´image contemporain Saint-Gervais, Switzerland, the Emily Tsingou Gallery, London and The British Council in Rome. She is currently based in London.
Sophy Rickett’s large-scale photographs are best known for their precise abstraction and purity of form. Her work is primarily non-narrative, and she photographs locations on the edge of mainstream society – peripheries of cities, road edges and parks. Her photographs are frequently taken at night and capture a tension between reality and fantasy.
Emily Tsingou Gallery
3. Harrie Gerritz
Composition (in the beginning of the night) 2003
Born in 1940 in Wychen, The Netherlands, Harrie Gerritz studied at the Academie voor Beeldende Kunst in Arnhem, The Netherlands. He spent several years working in New Guinea before returning to Europe to continue his studies at the Academie voor Beeldende Kunst in Arnhem. In 1996, 1999 and 2004, he was a Visiting Professor at the Fachhochschule in Hamburg. He has had recent solo exhibitions at the Galerie Clement in Amsterdam, Seasons Galleries in The Hague and A&A Galerie in Hasselt, Belgium. Harrie Gerritz lives and works in The Netherlands.
Harrie Gerritz regards himself as a landscape painter though his paintings explore more the essence of the landscape. His “imaginary” landscapes straddle the balance between figurative and abstract art, and focus on the emotional power of colors and the graphic rhythm of lines.
Harrie Gerritz website
4. Deborah Ligorio
Math_0032 2003
Born in 1972 in Brindisi, Italy, Deborah Ligorio studied art in Bologna, Milan and Paris, and participated in several study programs in Italy and the US. In 2003, she received a video and film fellowship in Berlin and a residency at the MAK Schindler Artists and Architects in Residence Program in Los Angeles. Deborah Ligorio lives and works in Milan and Berlin.
Deborah Ligorio investigates themes and issues related to physical, virtual and emotional space in her video, photography, and internet projects. In addition, through the realization of custom living units, she explores the relationship between living space and individual peculiarities, mood and character.
Deborah Ligorio's website
5. Christian Schmidt-Rasmussen
Untitled 2002
Christian Schmidt-Rasmussen was born in 1963 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1986-1992. He had a recent solo exhibition at the Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen and his work was featured in the 2002 exhibition, Private/Corporate, at the Daimler Chrysler Contemporary art gallery in Berlin. Christian Schmidt-Rasmussen lives and works in Copenhagen.
Christian Schmidt-Rasmussen's new paintings are inspired by signs and advertisements from popular culture. Their vivid colour surfaces have a brash directness that stems from his unique and expressive arrangement of colour and form.
Galerie Nicolai Wallner
Official Montblanc site