How Architect Peter Marino Revamped Tiffany & Co.’s New York Flagship
People are curious on how architect Peter Marino revamped Tiffany & Co.’s New York flagship and turned it into a 10-ttory art gallery. The renowned architect has filled the Landmark on Fifth Avenue with great works of art.
George EvansAug 30, 20235716 Shares129910 Views
People are curious on how architect Peter Marino revamped Tiffany & Co.’s New York flagshipand turned it into a 10-ttory art gallery. The renowned architect has filled the Landmark on Fifth Avenue with great works of art.
Tiffany & Co. debuted its newly remodeled Fifth Avenue flagship, dubbed the Landmark, in April.
“„You had to kind of take the Phoenix out of the ashes.- Peter Marino
Marino On Reimagining Tiffany
The architect said who oversaw the renovation. Marino's rebirth metaphor may appear to be unduly dramatic, but it isn't. This is more than simply a visual merchandising refresh; it is a total reimagining—not only of the building, but of the brand.
In fact, it reimagines what a store may be, blending retail and gallery space. The Landmark is the most opulent example in Tiffany's ongoing trend of making art as iconic with the company as its unique blue tint.
Is the Landmark an art endeavor in and of itself? It's not simply a jewelry store, for sure. It is, at the absolute least, a 10-level luxury shop that also serves as a world-class art gallery. The Landmark's dichotomous ethos is encapsulated by Daniel Arsham's 12-foot Bronze Eroded Venus of Arles.
Her torso is perforated and punctured with dazzling, jagged gold bricks, suggesting antiquity, classical beauty, and contrasting ages. In reality, the art (together with the immensely covetable traffic cones outside) provides the space's flashes of Tiffany blue.
Marino, who has been an enthusiastic collector for over 40 years and has his own art foundation in Southampton, New York, was the Landmark's art consultant and curator. He curated an incredible collection of sourced and commissioned works. Anish Kapoor, Richard Prince, Jeff Koons, Julian Schnabel, and Jenny Holzer are among the notable artists on show.
The Tiffany Private Club, an exclusive top floor salon intended for VIPs and the highest rollers, is adorned with the abstract silver splendor of Sarah Sze's First Time (Half-Life).
“„She’s a super talented artist, and like a lot of them, she’s a friend of mine. I was like, look, this is going to be treated with ultimate respect. I brought Sarah in when it was still just a concrete shell. Come and look at where I want you to do something. It’s the most important room in the whole building. It has the view of the park. It’s where the highest sales will be. It’s the closest to heaven, my love! She was an angel and kept saying, ‘You know, I have that Guggenheim show coming up.’ And I was like Guggenheim Schmuggenheim. This will be there for the next 100 years. Guggenheim will be over in four months.- Peter Marino
Tiffany should encourage Marino to work on the sales floor part-time.
“„But you do have to sell to the artists! I said, just make me an exploding diamond! Lights! She’s an Aquarius and she loves shiny things.- Peter Marino
Upon entering, one is welcomed by a row of abstract geometric sterling silver sculptural portraits by Swiss artist Not Vital.
“„I thought they were terribly beautiful, special and weird. People think it’s the New York skyline. Not at all, lovey! It’s the 15 most famous women who ever wore the Tiffany diamond!- Peter Marino
He added:
“„You have to make art the focus, jewelry is so small. It can’t be a ring. With these vast rooms, it’s never going to be jewelry. It’s always going to be the art.- Peter Marino
Rashid Johnson previously shown his work at Marino's charity. Marino recalled of their dialogue:
“„I said, Rashid, I’m not going to put you in a row of handbags. You’ll be the one work of art. Everything else on the wall is incredibly diaphanous, very sexy. I need anything you want to do on the cracked mirror series that I had seen six or seven years before. He was absolutely brilliant to work with.- Peter Marino
Johnson's seven-foot-tall mirrored mosaic has an upside-down Tiffany blue figure with tar-like black wax drippings.
The impulse was apparent for Sze, Johnson, and the other commissioned artists, including Vik Muniz and Damien Hirst.
“„I’d like anything that’s iconic Tiffany to you as an artist. For Sarah Sze it was the diamond. For Rashid it was the blue.- Peter Marino
Anna Weyant's approach was literal and still-life. Her diptych depicts a present box and its contents (a Tiffany HardWear necklace in gold).
They are displayed in a small private viewing salon. Tiffany & Co.'s art world transformation coincides with the LVMH acquisition of the firm, which will be completed in early 2021, and Alexandre Arnault's promotion to executive vice president. Arnault, in fact, commissioned the Arsham Venus.
“„I’ve been working for the Arnault family since 1994. Three quarters are commissioned by my own staff, the other quarter by the Arnault family—a really good collaboration.- Peter Marino
The Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Equals Pi
With a gauntlet-drop of a statement, Arnault declared his presence and the new Tiffany, the Jay-Z and Beyoncé campaign in which the uber-power couple appeared with Basquiat's Equals Pi (1982). In addition, the singer donned the famed Tiffany Yellow Diamond around her neck.
“„“It was terribly clever. In order to turn a very large ship around, you need a lot of power. That painting did it.- Peter Marino
The Basquiat, inextricably linked with Tiffany, hangs in front of the ground level elevators, while the renowned necklace is housed in a neighboring mirrored nook.
Marino made a wise decision by hanging Wade Guyton's untitled 2022 inkjet painting of a New York Times cover with the Basquiat commercial in the Landmark's library. Marino estimates that the art on display at the Landmark will evolve and alter every six months to a year.
“„The show will then go to other Tiffany flagships I’m doing around the world. Each of the flagships will have a really powerful painting statement. No more Basquiats because we don’t want to repeat the theme, but the selection of paintings is formidable, and I’m having great fun commissioning them.- Peter Marino
The flagship also functions as a museum for the brand. Classic retail vitrines from the business's famed window pioneer Gene Moore are restored, and an Avedon photograph of designer Paloma Picasso surveying her jewelry collection with Tiffany is on display. Behind exhibit cases, Jean Schlumberger's experimental inventions are elevated to sculpture.
Breakfast At Tiffany
An original Breakfast at Tiffany's script is on display, as is Audrey Hepburn's black Givenchy gown from the film. Marino hand-painted Keith Haring-style squiggles emanating from pictures of Hepburn in the film, which are housed in a little shrine to the actress where visitors may snap photographs.
“„I wanted almost an Audrey chapel. Already over a million people have done selfies. I said, it’s going to help us sell more than you can imagine. I’m gonna play fucking ‘Moon River’ and make all of you cry. If you go in there and you don’t cry, there’s something wrong with you.- Peter Marino
Art In Every Corner
It's a shame the elevators at the Landmark aren't faster. Every floor's elevator vestibule is embellished with a one-of-a-kind artwork. On the fourth level, James Turrell's serenely color-shifting egg-like sculpture is juxtaposed with Hans Hartung's turgid and whirling T 1985 H12 acrylic painting.
Damien Hirst's mischievous (but stunning) cubic zirconia display case on level five is very certainly the sole specimen of the synthetic substance on the grounds. Hirst also made enthralling Apple Blossom wallpaper, while Vik Muniz chose peonies as his wallpaper inspiration.
Not only do the large showpieces and commissions captivate. Art may be found in almost every corridor and corner. If you don't pay attention, you can walk right into Gregor Hildebrandt's fanciful tower Blue Leo or Johan Creten's Massau I sculpture. Roe Ethridge's photographs of decanters, fresh vegetables, and keychains have an earthy grandeur that adds a unique twist to the collection.
“„I put them in the private dining room next to the café. That’s where they belong. Commercialization and art. It’s very Warholian in its theme. Andy was saying, look, Coca-Cola, Brillo, Heinz Ketchup—that’s what America is all about. It’s about manufacturing, it’s about selling, it’s about commerce. I think Roe is part of that and continuing this Pop Art culture.- Peter Marino
In honor of Warhol, Marino erected a personal tribute to the Pop artist. The silver foil on the ceiling above Kapoor's Random Triangle Mirror grows like kudzu.
“„When I was younger, I went to the Factory and was so impressed with all the aluminum foil at the time. What was great about the Factory was it became so glamorous, and of course, it was a dollar roll of aluminum foil. You don’t always have to have precious stones. I thought that hipness of what Warhol brought to the world of Pop Art was exactly the kind of shot in the arm that Tiffany needed. At one point I wanted to stick it everywhere. Then I went, no, that’s too retro. I just want it floating on the ceiling like leaves from a tree. And that’s enough. It was my personal gesture to the way I remembered growing up in New York.- Peter Marino
In actuality, the Landmark is a series of continuing personal art gestures for Marino (his furniture journey requires a separate page) as well as a growing collective display.
“„More things are coming. It’s continuing. This work will go on and on and on. My office is right down the block and I live two blocks from Tiffany. I was born on 55th Street, and yes, I did press my nose into the glass growing up, just as Holly Golightly did.- Peter Marino
Marino began his search by visiting the Tiffany archives in New Jersey.
“„It’s protected by rather fierce Valkyries. My whole thesis on doing the store was, Tiffany is the only real true American luxury brand. Who is the Louis Comfort Tiffany of our time? The premier silversmith, jeweler, glassmaker, lamp maker, window maker, skylight maker? Who is that aesthetic genius? I hope I can restore it to its proper place. I was consciously trying to follow in the footsteps of John Loring [Tiffany design director from 1979–2009], who kept bringing modern artists of his time to Tiffany’s, like Warhol and jewelry designers Paloma Picasso and Elsa Peretti. Mine was a very conscious decision to bring some of the best artists and craftsmen of our day forth. I was trying to really go back to the Tiffany of my childhood.- Peter Marino
People Also Ask
Is Peter Marino Still Active In The Field Of Architecture And Design?
Peter Marino remains active in the field of architecture and design. His firm, Peter Marino Architect PLLC, continues to engage in various high-profile projects spanning retail, residential, cultural, and hospitality design.
What Are Some Of Peter Marino's Most Iconic Collaborations With Artists?
One notable collaboration is with French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel, resulting in the creation of exquisite glass and metal sculptures integrated into the architecture of luxury retail spaces. Another significant collaboration includes working with contemporary artist Vik Muniz to incorporate large-scale artworks into architectural environments.
What Is Peter Marino's Approach To Incorporating Art Into His Architectural Designs?
Peter Marino is renowned for seamlessly integrating art and architecture, creating immersive environments that elevate the human experience. He often commissions site-specific artworks that respond to the spatial qualities of his designs, blurring the lines between the two disciplines.
Final Words
According to Marino, the response has been quick and pleasant.
“„The reverberations around the world are absolutely enormous. I’m really happy I rolled up my sleeves and threw myself into it. It was a great opportunity to really make a good work of art.- Peter Marino
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