HENNESSY AND FRANK GEHRY: A SHARED COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE

The relationship between award-winning architect and designer Frank Gehry and LVMH is long and artistically fruitful, the billowing forms of the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris one illustrious example of the partnership.

A sculptor of immense creativity and curiosity, when invited to reinterpret the iconic Hennessy X. O decanter, Mr. Gehry took to the design request with his signature style – his mind, as always, wide open.

While the decanter’s rich history and iconic curves were honoured, any boundaries others might have adhered to were broken. “There is such a great history for this product,” says Mr. Gehry. “It was an honor to take on the challenge.”

He headed to Cognac itself for inspiration. There, Mr. Gehry found his muse in the interplay between water and light on the Charente River which flows next to the Maison Hennessy. Using bronze to craft the shell of the bottle, retaining the shape of the emblematic Hennessy X.O bottle, he set out to replicate the surface texture of the river. As the designer describes it, “The decanter has a strikingly different texture of crumpled, shimmering gold with translucent glass, a combination that evokes the waters of the Charente River flowing over the rocks. I am not afraid to try and break boundaries.” The bottle bearing his name bears witness to his bold and ground-breaking imagination.

The masterpiece Hennessy X.O decanter by Frank Gehry is yet more history in the making, part of a storied lineage of family, renowned artists and designers, and craftsmen.