Veuve Clicquot celebrates its 250th anniversary with Solaire Culture, the iconic champagne house’s first-ever global travelling exhibition. Conceived and curated in collaboration with curator Camille Morineau and designer Constance Guisse, the exhibition fully immerses visitors in the world of Veuve Clicquot. The extraordinary heritage of the champagne house comes to life in a modern and seductive journey from 1772 to the present day, exploring the house’s savoir-faire and cultural imprint.

From 12 May 2023, the ‘Solaire Culture’ exhibition at London’s Piccadilly Circus will lighten 250 years of Veuve Clicquot history. After previous editions in Tokyo and Los Angeles, they are now landing in Europe for the first time. With more than 2,000 objects from Veuve Clicquot’s illustrious history, for the first time, visitors in the UK will be immersed in the rich heritage of the champagne house, considered one of the most important in the French champagne region.

Innovation and creativity have always been constant values for the house, which in this exhibition has created a dialogue between the values that define its heritage and the contemporary visions of curator Camille Morineau and designer Constance Guisset. The result is an experience that stimulates all the senses, a celebration of two and a half centuries of ‘Clicquot culture’ full of creativity, optimism and boldness, and the leap into the now and the future, through a selection of striking contemporary artworks created especially for this exhibition.

Solaire Culture; opens the doors to some of the most striking historical gems from Veuve Clicquot’s archives. A portrait of Madame Clicquot reinterpreted by world-renowned artist Yayoi Kusama, 20 remarkable historical documents (including a letter signed by Madame Clicquot), an original bottle of Veuve Clicquot from the 1840s (an epic discovery in the Baltic Sea after a shipwreck) and much more. In addition, ‘Solaire Culture’ explores the winemaking traditions of champagne by unlocking the exceptional know-how of the champagne house and, through iconic objects, music and literature, the cultural impact of the house is shown.

Madame Clicquot, a contemporary role model In 1805, Madame Clicquot took the reins of the Veuve Clicquot champagne house. In doing so, she became one of the first female entrepreneurs of the modern era. She broke barriers that applied to women of her time and became known as La Grande Dame of Champagne. Her free spirit, boldness and deep optimism still radiate from the champagne house and continue to inspire. Still, her spirit radiates ‘Solaire Culture’ worldwide. In difficult times, she looked to the future with confidence. Against everyone’s expectations, she revolutionised the champagne industry. “If in the pursuit of perfection, you can take two steps at a time, why be satisfied with just one?” Today, Veuve Clicquot continues to build on its heritage by creating, innovating and engaging bold and free-thinking personalities.

Discover ‘Solitaire Culture’ in London
From 12 May, visitors will be welcomed to Piccadilly Circus, London, over a three-week period. Here, they can discover the unprecedented ‘Solitary Culture’ exhibition for free. Tickets will be available from April.

Visitors will start their journey in a space dedicated to Madame Clicquot. Here, her life and her inventions are presented through historical gems and the artistic interpretations of seven artists: Yayoi Kusama, Inès Longevial, Cece Philips, Rosie McGuinness, Pénélope Bagieu, Olimpia Zagnoli and Moyoco Anno. It then dives into its 250-year history full of design and innovation. Here, visitors discover the most historic labels and the many works of art created for Veuve Clicquot by internationally renowned artists and designers in the 20th and 21st centuries. Here, the love of beautiful objects takes centre stage and works such as My Heart That Blooms in The Darkness of The Night by Yayoi Kusama and Comet Lamp by Tom Dixon can be seen.

Then travel to Veuve Clicquot’s vineyard and Crayères chalk cellars to discover the champagne house’s exceptional homeland and craft. In this space, films reveal the secrets of the production process and show how Veuve Clicquot’s inimitable style is created.

The so-called ‘Clicquot Culture’ comes to life in different spaces where experience is central. These include an interactive library where visitors can listen to literary excerpts while sitting on a sofa and a disco ball to listen to and dance to a playlist curated especially for the exhibition that is Veuve Clicquot’s Tribute to the Sun. To convey the unprecedented power, light, tonality and quality of the ‘solaire’ yellow that Veuve Clicquot is known for, the exhibition’s finale is empowered by two great female artists. They round off the visitors’ journey by channelling their individual artistic worlds. Sheila Hicks presents a sculpture made of threads and yellow fabric, whereas Monique Frydman delivers a painting that is not just to look at. It has to be experienced in three dimensions.

The exhibition closes on 6 June 2023. For more information on ‘Solaire Culture’, visit VeuveClicquot.com.