During Milan Design Week, Veuve Clicquot and Magnum Photos debuted “Emotions of the Sun ” at the Garden Senato, a traveling exhibition of photography, gastronomy, and bespoke shopping experiences. Inspired by the euphoric vision of revolutionary businesswoman Madame Clicquot, as well as the champagne house’s ebullient yellow label, eight international photographers were given creative carte blanche to develop original, free-thinking artworks. Steve McCurry, Alex Webb, Trent Parke, Olivia Arthur, Lindokuhle Sobekwa, Cristina de Middel, Nanna Heitmann, and Newsha Tavakolian showcased images that dynamically engaged with the power of the sun.

Upon entering the beaming show in Milan, visitors embarked on a sensorial journey of tones, textures, and visually arresting photographic masterpieces. A circular portal made way for a lyrical presentation in which images were framed and set upon walls of varying sunlit shades—in addition to being suspended in silky and evocative materials reminiscent of the sun’s universal nourishment. In addition to the photographic presentation, a restaurant and boutique invited visitors to linger in the harmonious art exhibition. 

The delightful theme of “Sun in your plate” debuted in Milan with famed Chefs Jean Imbert of Plaza Athénée (Paris), Mory Sacko of MoSuke Paris, Valentina Rizzo of Farmacia dei Sani in Ruffano (Lecce), and Michelin-star icon Karime Lopez of Gucci Osteria (Florence). Guests were transported by dishes conjuring the luscious flavors of summer with vibrant seasonal produce—the sun’s blossoming offerings for all—paired with the brand’s unparalleled cuvées. In addition, the exhibition’s wondrous boutique boasted iconic Veuve Clicquot objects and champagnes. The jubilant exhibition will travel to New York City in early June, 2024. 

While in Milan, Whitewall sat down with Jean-Marc Gallot, CEO of Veuve Clicquot, to discuss bringing much-needed joy to the world, the power of the human imagination, and fully embodying a brand that uplifts people and Mother Nature herself. 

WHITEWALL: The theme of the sun seems deeply evocative and resonant, how does it tie to Veuve Clicquot’s brand identity and philosophy? 

JEAN-MARC GALLOT: It ties to the spirit of Maison Clicquot as our number one inspiration or muse. Sometimes in LVMH there is the challenge of who are you going to have as an icon, or who are you going to hire for your next advertising campaign, and I always answer: Madame Clicquot. She’s our muse. The spirit of Madame Clicquot was all about audacity, optimism, and determination. In everything we do, we are looking for this audacity, optimism, and determination. 

When you combine it with this iconic yellow from our label, you arrive at the idea that we are bringing joy to the world. We are bringing optimism. We are soleil. It’s all about the sun. 

The best moment of the sun is when the sun rises. We gave, as a briefing, to Magnum Agency and their top photographers, How does the sun inspire you? And in particular, when the sun rises, how do you feel? What would you like to share? How would you like to express it? And here we are with the result. 

Veuve Clicquot Gives Carte Blanche to 8 Magnum Agency Photographers

WW: Magnum Photos is renowned for its powerful storytelling with images. How do you see their perspective enhancing the narrative of the exhibit?

JMG:  What is quite incredible, is that you have a group of very strong personalities and individuals. Very often, you have a maison or some big brand coming to them and saying they are giving carte blanche, but actually, there is no carte blanche, there is no freedom because there is a briefing and there is a guideline. 

Here, we are very proud to be able to say today that we gave carte blanche to the photographers of Magnum Agency to do whatever they wanted to do, wherever, with whoever—people, animals, nature. It was mostly in their area, except for Steve McCurry, who was inspired to go to Japan and see Mt. Fuji. 

Giving people freedom, you will never be disappointed. You will be surprised and amazed by the power of imagination, sensitivity, and emotion of people. This is what it’s all about, and we are not doing this anymore in the world. If by doing this we can give a little breeze of fresh air, optimism, joy, and audacity, I’m happy. 

Sharing Historic Links and Experiences at Milan Design Week

WW: Milan Design Week is a globally significant event, what made it the perfect platform to debut this exhibition?

JMG: First, there is Veuve Clicquot in Italy. The maison was founded in 1772. The very first bottle shipped outside of France was in 1772 to Venice, Italy. The year of the foundation of the maison, we were exporting bottles to Italy. This gives an incredible link, and on top of that, for the last 30 or 40 years, we have been collaborating with a lot of designers and each time we were very present at Milan Design Week. In the last four or five years with COVID we had a pullback. We came back last year with Paola Paronetto’s La Grande Dame as a cuvée of optimism with pastel colors. 

We came back to Milan last year and said, we belong to Milan Design Week. It’s the right people, the right crowd, the right environment to express something beyond champagne. Because Veuve Clicquot is beyond champagne. We want to be not only a brand selling champagne, more than that we want to share experiences. It’s the best platform in the year for doing it. 

“If you’re open-minded, creative, and looking for new directions, you can contribute to changing the world,”

— Jean-Marc Gallot

WW: Sustainability is increasingly a priority in the luxury sector. How does the Veuve Clicquot ensure that its collaborations align with sustainable practices?

JMG:  There is one aspect which is, what do you do with the ground and the climate, and how do you take care of the soil in the right way? We have been the very first maison certified in viticulture durable in 2015. The climate has undergone a huge change. One century ago, the harvest was in the beginning of October, 20 years ago it was the beginning of September, and three out of the last four harvests were in mid-August. We have something to deal with, but the good news is that the soil of champagne is like a sponge, so it keeps all the humidity from, for example, this winter and the spring, and you still have some very good harvests. I would say that we suffer from the change in climate, but sustainability per se for the soil is not that much of a challenge for us.

The challenge is the weight of the glass for the bottle. We are trying to find something to put it on a diet. And, for example, we used to use a lot of boxes with nice designs, but now and for the last two years, every single box or initiative that we do is 100% sustainable. We have used hemp for the first time in making the boxes. We are at 60% hemp and 40% recycled. And we have gone one step further with a collaboration with Stella McCartney. We recycle byproduct of the grapes from the harvest, which becomes vegetable leather which she used in her last runway show for a handbag, shoes, and also a bottle holder. It shows that if you’re open-minded, creative, and looking for new directions, you can contribute to changing the world. 

There is also Veuve Clicquot’s very strong engagement with the Bold Women program which supports women entrepreneurs. For the last 52 years, we have been recognizing female entrepreneurs around the world, highlighting 27 countries in the world inspiring women for the ways they impact the economy and society. For me, it’s also a very strong commitment of the maison. So far, women entrepreneurs are not visible enough, and Madame Clicquot was one of the very first female entrepreneurs in France. 

Indulging in the Diverse “Emotions of the Sun”

JMG:  Just take it for what it is. I think we are sometimes too intellectual, too complicated. Here, you have in front of you the emotion of the sun. We have only one word which is related to this exhibition, which is emotion. Try to take away your bias, if you have your own bias, just enjoy the differences in culture, the differences in experience, and the differences in personality of these eight photographers. 

It’s incredible to see human nature and such diversity through basically one brief, which was how would you describe the emotion of the sun? There was nothing more. 

You have a photographer looking at the relationship between nature and the fisherman in Mt. Fuji. You have one looking at a horse on the beach meeting an extraordinary balloon. You have one in Australia at the end of the afternoon with people jumping past the sun into the water. What I like here is that there is no message, it’s just how you feel about it. Enjoy. Indulge. It’s enough. We are happy. 

WW: Collaborations often bring together diverse creative talents. Can you elaborate on the process of selecting artists and photographers to participate in this project? 

JMG:  When you are part of a large company like LVMH, for too long of a time we were a little bit segmented in the type of people we were dealing with, not curious enough about the world and its personalities. I think that with the challenges that we are facing working and living together, more now than ever and in the future, and with the diversity and inclusion programs that we have in all our companies, have opened our eyes to be more curious than ever. I am quite proud to say that with the list of photographers that we have, which was an open discussion with Magnum to be representative worldwide of people, experiences, and profiles, I think that we are really giving a sense of diversity. 

WW: Art and Champagne are both about eliciting emotions and creating experiences. How do you see these elements emerging within the exhibition space? 

JMG:  It’s all about experiences. Today, we are becoming more and more demanding, and the product itself is not enough. We need to go one step further, and one step further is to give some depth to what we drink or what we experience. For that, you need different perspectives, you need different views. This is where artists, photographers, musicians, and people who are exploring their own way of expressing themselves, can nourish and make the champagne experience different. That’s what we tried to build with the vision of Veuve Clicquot, which is to be a brand beyond champagne. We have been doing that for many years, and you will be even more surprised in the future because we are always looking for the next step. Today is a big step, but we have more coming. 

We believe that there is a strong future for champagne. We believe that we have to offer things, and not only be creating studies and listening to the trends. You can be open-minded, but you must remain yourself. If we are ourselves, if we keep the spirit of Maison Clicquot, I think we can build an incredible universe of surprises and experiences. Get ready. 

A Traveling and Collaborative Exhibition Unfolds

WW: How does Veuve Clicquot aim to engage with audiences who may not be able to attend the physical exhibition in Milan? 

JMG: It is imagined as a traveling exhibition and we have other markets who are looking at it and asking to have this experience of the emotion of the sun. We also try to go one step further, which is what can come next. It can come from the maison, but it can also come from the market. I think that the key meaningful word is you have to be relevant within the culture of countries. If you’re not relevant, it doesn’t work. Here, in Milan, it’s totally relevant. This might not be relevant in other places, so let’s be a little bit more curious. Let’s listen to them, and together we can build some interesting new projects. 

WW: In regards to the choice to spotlight chefs for the Milan pop-up, why is it so important to create an exhibition that is more than just visually immersive, but immersive with all the senses? 

JMG:  I think that the brief that we gave to the chefs, bring the “Sun in your plate,” is an interesting one. It’s not the same platform as being a photographer, but I’m sure that somewhere, somehow, they go through the same type of emotion or the same type of challenges. Champagne can be enjoyed by itself, but champagne is also a mix-and-match story. We like the chefs who are the rising stars, rather than only those who are established. We are projective of the future rather than going only for the establishment. We are looking for people who are bringing that something, we are looking for the next rising star.