Fifth Avenue is in Bloom this May with Van Cleef and Arpels

The beauty and joy of springtime in New York is being celebrated this month with “Fifth Avenue Blooms,” imagined by Van Cleef & Arpels. Currently on view through May 31, the Fifth Avenue Association, in collaboration with the luxury maison and artist Alexandre Benjamin Navet, presents a bouquet of immersive installations across 12 blocks of the iconic street. In celebration of Mother’s Day and the bloom of the season, visitors can step into a “floral sketchbook” of vividly-hued sculptures and fresh flowers. 

“As the ultimate street of dreams, shaped by its heritage in the heart of New York City, Fifth Avenue is a perfect home to Van Cleef & Arpels joyful installations,” said Angela Pennyfeather, Director of Marketing for the Fifth Avenue Association. “We are thrilled to be offering a spring kick-off to the all-encompassing iconic destination. We hope hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and worldwide visitors will stroll from 47thto 59th street and enjoy the graceful, poetic, one-of-a-kind experience.”

From the moment the Arpels family journeyed to New York for the World’s Fair in 1939, presenting their one-of-a-kind jewels for the French Pavilion, a mutual and poetic love affair began. The jewelry house opened its boutique on Fifth Avenue just a few years later in 1942 at the very location where it remains today. 

“For over 80 years, Fifth Avenue has been a special place for Van Cleef & Arpels, and we are thrilled to make it a canvas for a joyful celebration of spring, a season that inspires so many of our creations. We hope Alexandre Benjamin Navet’s enchanting designs will bring a smile to all New Yorkers and visitors this May,” said Helen King, President and CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels Americas.

A multidisciplinary French artist Navet was awarded the Grand Prix Design Parade Toulon, sponsored by Van Cleef & Arpels, in 2017, and in 2020 began a long-term collaboration with the maison, designing its facades in New York City, Boston, and Beverly Hills. This year, Navet’s artwork is inspired by his own joyful sketches and vase work, bringing out the fantasy in nature with pastels and inventive architecture. Passersby can quite literally stroll into the artist’s imagination, finding moments of calm and togetherness under colorful pergolas, on stylized benches, and beneath storybook arches. 

“I like to do something different for every location because the city is different, and the energy is unique and I’m in awe to have the opportunity to express myself on such a beautiful avenue,” said Navet. “I hope this creates enchantment, surprise, and a lot of joy. These are the feelings I want people to experience walking through the installation.”