Audemars Piguet Commissions Renée Levi’s First Major UK Public Work

The intersection of artistic vision and architectural expression reaches an exquisite crescendo with the unveiling of Renée Levi’s ‘September’, a monumental two panel work commissioned by Audemars Piguet Contemporary and presented at the Hayward Gallery. Across three decades, Levi has cultivated a singular practice examining the profound relationship between art and the spaces it inhabits, a dialogue that finds particularly resonant expression against the gallery’s celebrated Brutalist façade.

The realisation of this ambitious composition required an extraordinary collaboration between artist and manufacture. Within Audemars Piguet’s Fab Lab, that rarified space where the Manufacture prototypes transformative ideas, Levi and the brand’s artisans engaged in meticulous consultation regarding the work’s outdoor support structure. The solution, an ingeniously adapted industrial mesh, demonstrates the resourcefulness and technical precision that characterises both the artist’s practice and the manufacture’s approach to innovation. The material was engineered to endure London’s capricious climate whilst safeguarding the absolute integrity of Levi’s vision.

The assembly of ‘September’ unfolds as a masterclass in artistic discipline. Produced in carefully considered sections, each component was assembled on site, transforming the gallery’s threshold into an extension of the artist’s studio. The work emerges as both a singular, unified composition and an expandable series, a structural flexibility that mirrors Levi’s distinctive methodology. She paints in one continuous, unbroken pass, a demanding technique rooted in her foundational training and sharpened through experimentation with novel materials and scale.

This commission represents something profoundly significant within contemporary patronage. Audemars Piguet’s investment in commissioning monumental public artworks signals the manufacture’s evolved understanding of its role within the cultural landscape. The Fab Lab itself epitomises this commitment to creative exploration beyond horology; it is a space where possibilities are prototyped, refined and realised. By placing their considerable resources and expertise at the service of artists such as Levi, the manufacture demonstrates that true luxury extends far beyond the temporal; it encompasses the eternal realm of artistic creation and cultural stewardship.

The presentation of ‘September’ at the Hayward Gallery marks a significant milestone in Levi’s career whilst simultaneously affirming Audemars Piguet’s role as a discerning patron of contemporary art. The work stands as a testament to the enduring power of artistic vision when supported by the resources, understanding and philosophical alignment that only the world’s most forward thinking institutions can provide.

Imagery courtesy of Audemars Piguet (@audemarspiguet).