Jean Dunand - Unique Experiences

The grand opening of the Wynn hotel and casino in Macau.

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0200

I was invited, with Steven Holtzman, to Macau for the grand opening of the Wynn Macau Hotel and Casino resort, as Wynn, in both Las Vegas and Macau, is a distribution partner of Jean Dunand Pièces Uniques. The Wynn Macau is the first Las Vegas-style blended resort in Asia.

If you have never had the opportunity to visit one, Wynn resorts are simply extraordinary, incomparable. They are the quintessence of the luxury hotel casino, with unparalleled levels of quality, service and refinement.

Le sens de l’ostentatoire is fine, as long it is done in good taste. At Wynn everything is done in good taste.

I thought the Geneva Festival fireworks in August very impressive, but the fireworks Wynn put on were sensational, with a finale of a majestic hotel signature burning on the façade. This was an event that kept invitees and onlookers breathless for a long time. It was a unique experience in a unique environment, and one I shall never forget.

The firework display was followed by dinner in the hotel's Wing Lei restaurant. This is a red-carpeted room with silky walls and a centrepiece 20 meter/60' flying dragon composed of 90,000 Swarovski crystals and individual blown glass elements. Simply crazy, yet stunningly beautiful.

At midnight sharp, the opening of the casino doors signalled a very busy gambling night.

Thierry Oulevay, President of Jean Dunand Pièces Uniques, Steve Wynn, Chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts (wearing a Tourbillon Orbital) and Jean Dunand distribution partner, Steven Holtzman.

The following day we met Steve Wynn and I found him a most charming visionary.

Please visit www.wynnmacau.com for more information.

Aston Martin Track Day: Playing with the Ultimate Boy's Toys

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0200

I had the very good fortune recently to be invited to an Aston Martin track day and - as ever since my grandfather had a 1952 DB2 I have loved the brand - I happily accepted.

I arrived at the world renowned Millbrook Proving Ground looking forward to a great day's driving and I was not to be disappointed. As many brands test prototype cars there, some quite heavily disguised, all photography was forbidden, which only added to my building sense of excitement.

There are seven different circuits on the grounds and I had an opportunity to try four of them. I was teamed up with a different instructor/driver for each track and it was all run in a typically British warm friendly atmosphere, with a touch of elegance and lots of humour.

My first track was the Hill Route with a 420bhp V8 Vantage. This was a most challenging circuit with incredible ups and downs . . . it was very exciting. This was where the car scenes of the James Bond movie Casino Royale, were shot. I took it easy at first, as the width of the car is impressive, plus I was driving on the right hand side for the first time in many years. I could do the whole tour on 5th gear thanks to the incredible torque, but the circuit demanded precise steering and positioning and was an exhausting drive. An accurate warning for what was coming next.

Circuit no.2 was the City Tour track in a 510bhp DBS V12. The noise of the V12 was out of this world. It seriously put shivers up my spine. This was a flat circuit with lots of narrow curves and changes of gear plus a demanding series of 'S curves. It then started raining and the track was soon soaked. I was sure at the speed we were going that it was only a matter of time before we slide off a curve onto the grass; however, the grip was astounding and it was virtually impossible to slide. In fact the car was so well balanced that it was difficult to get the back end out in the wet. The DBS is a superb sports car with extraordinary handling

Circuit no. 3 had me in the High-Speed Bowl driving the 470bhp DB9 V12. What a thrill! Five lanes across on a perfectly round 2-mile / 3.2km circuit with elevated curves as we moved from the centre to the outside lane. Cruising at 130 mph / 215km/h I could only look straight ahead - it was impossible to glance down at the dash as the track flew past in a never-ending curve. My concentration levels were peaking; impossible to check anywhere but ahead; the car tracking as if on rails and then my co-pilot tells me “Hands off the wheel”. Reluctantly, tentatively, I obey, only to discover that my intense concentration was in vain: the car didn't really need me to steer at all. I could barely hear anything over the pounding of my heart.

Circuit no. 4 saw me on the fast one-mile straight a “light” 520bhp V12 Vantage with much use of carbon fibre and carbon ceramic brakes. The circuit is a one-mile straight drive used for speed and brake testing. Here I was pushing the accelerator to the floor through all 6 gears. My hands started sweating and the noise from the roaring motor was sensual. At 154 mph / 250 km/h the instructor yelled, "Brake!” for me to execute emergency braking. The car didn't move off its line by a fraction and while the ABS must have been working overtime I couldn't feel it at all, though back in the paddock the tyres were smoking - as was I! It was a thoroughly invigorating experience . . . and one that felt so good.

For more information please visit www.astonmartin.com

The Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0200

On a working visit to Japan this summer, I finally managed to fit in a visit to the Teien Art Museum in Tokyo. I have long wanted to see this museum, as the building is a beautifully preserved example of the art deco style that took the European art world by storm in the 1920's and 30's. And of course the art deco movement is the inspiration for our designs at Jean Dunand.

While my main focus was on the art deco architecture, it houses an absolute treasure trove of art deco: decors, details and art works by many great French (and Japanese) artists, including glass reliefs by René Lalique, marbles and wall reliefs by Leon Blanchot, iron works by Raymond Subes, mantelpieces and oil murals by Henri Rapin, not to mention the incredible ceiling lights, chandeliers, stairway handrails, and the splendid gardens and teahouse or “Koka” (luminous flower in Japanese).

A superb bronze panther by Swiss sculptor Edouard-Marcel Sandoz

The Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum used to be the residence of Prince Asaka, the eighth son of Prince Kuni, who lived here with his wife, princess Nobuko, the eighth daughter of Emperor Meiji. The house was completed in 1933, and today it is largely as it was then.

After the war it was put to various temporary uses, serving at one time as the official residence of the foreign minister and at another time as a state guest house. Then, half a century after it was built, the Prince Asaka Residence was given a new lease of life as a museum run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture.

Not an exhibit, but a work of art radiator cover

The Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum opened it's gates in 1983. The principal structures were designed by French designer Henri Rapin (1873-1939), and many of the decorative features to be found inside were imported from France and other foreign countries. However, the basic plan of the building and some parts of interior decoration were undertaken by architects of the Imperial Household Department, adding an authentically Japanese feel to the Art Deco style.

Unlike most museums, the building itself an art treasure and demands a critical appreciation that recognizes the spiritual relationship between exhibit and venue. Surrounded by a green and spacious park, the museum is blessed with an environment that allows one to enjoy the meeting of nature, architecture and art.

The Teien Art Museum is an extraordinary island of beauty and peace in the middle of busy Tokyo, where people come to sit, rest, admire, chat or simply breathe. It is a very spiritual place with a grand soul.

For more information, please visit www.teien-art-museum.ne.jp