ONE DAY WITH | MASTERS & MUSES | WORLD OF CABANA

For the third year running, French artist Alexandre Benjamin Navet has partnered with Van Cleef & Arpels for a spectacular spring celebration in New York. The Maison's latest collections sow the seeds for the installations, 'Spring is Blooming at Rockefeller Center', which open this May. With Van Cleef's savoir-faire, Alexandre Benjamin's use of color, and their shared reverence for nature, it's an inspired pairing. Alexandre Benjamin speaks to Lucrezia Lucas from his sun-filled atelier, where spring has truly sprung.

INTERVIEW BY LUCREZIA LUCAS | MASTERS & MUSES | 1 MAY 2025

' Spring is Blooming at Rockefeller Center with Van Cleef & Arpels by Alexandre Benjamin Navet', New York, May 2025 © Van Cleef & Arpels

I live between my office in Paris and an 18th-century castle I bought last year. These two places allow for very different ways of working. The latter is my Salon, Les Ateliers dans la Forêt, in the middle of the Orléans Forest just an hour outside Paris. The estate is made up of three buildings: my home, filled with my books and art collections; my studio; and a separate house where my two assistants, friends or fellow artists stay (I am launching an artists' residency next month). It’s surrounded by nature, which is what I loved about the place when I first saw it. 

I like to wake up early. It's really different if we're in Paris or here at Les Ateliers, but when I'm here in the country, I wake up early, which leaves me space in the afternoon to enjoy my surroundings. Mornings here start with checking emails, then I like to spend a few quiet hours drawing alone in front of the forest. Being in nature, sketching in silence—it’s essential to my creative process. Drawing every day is where everything begins.

Matisse and Fernand Léger shaped my visual language. I also often return to Giorgio de Chirico, especially for his sense of theatricality. His work blurs the line between painting and architecture, creating imaginary perspectives that continue to inspire me. 

My work is deeply intertwined with my life. Even when I'm traveling, visiting exhibitions, or walking in nature, I'm constantly thinking about what's next. Inspiration is everywhere, so in many ways, I'm always working. 

The Enoura Observatory in Japan really inspires me. It’s a magical place with breathtaking views, created by the Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto. It’s a perfect dialogue between architecture, culture, and landscape—quiet, powerful, and deeply inspiring. 

My Paris studio is near the Palais Royal. It’s always an enchantment to walk through the gardens (plus, turn left, it’s Japanese street food heaven, turn right, classic French brasseries with proper old-school charm.) Paris is where most of my meetings happen—it’s also where Van Cleef & Arpels is based. I often go back and forth; it’s only an hour between the two places, so I’ll sometimes travel to the city just for the day to attend a meeting or to catch an exhibition. Growing up in Paris, my parents used to take me to museums all the time where I was always drawing and painting, even as a child.

Around lunchtime, if I'm not in Paris, I head back to the main atelier. In the afternoon, we begin translating new ideas, turning them into maquettes or small dioramas—ideally outdoors if the weather’s nice. I love working with volume and scale; it allows me to amplify what's already in the sketchbooks. That’s something I really appreciate about our collaborations with Van Cleef —the ability to move fluidly from one scale to another. It’s something we explored in depth during Spring is Blooming.

We always have NTS Radio playing. It’s a live stream of DJs from all over the world. A lot of creative people I know listen to it. It’s a great platform for discovery. One mix might take you to Hawaii, another into the sounds of a South African tribe!

'Spring is Blooming at Rockefeller Center with Van Cleef & Arpels by Alexandre Benjamin Navet', New York, May 2025 © Van Cleef & Arpels

Our collaboration began five years ago, shortly after the Grand Prix. I was incredibly honored to receive a carte blanche—not only to express myself but also to reinterpret Van Cleef's codes in my own way. Nature and flora have always been the heart of our collaborations. The Maison brings remarkable energy and savoir-faire to the table, and each year we try to introduce new elements to evoke a fresh sensation.

I never used to draw flowers before we met. Vases were always the protagonists in my work. Then the Maison asked: “What if we added flowers to the vases?” I thought, why not? What a beautiful idea. I took my sketchbook to the Louvre and found inspiration in Flemish painting. That’s how it began. This year, we’ve added birds.

The Maison generously gave me access to their Vendôme archives. They showed me an incredible collection—new pieces, heritage pieces, historic designs. There was a whole series on birds, and they were just marvelous. I wanted to reinterpret this universe of flora and fauna. Birds, of course, are part of the Maison’s legacy. They became the bridge between these two worlds—flora and fauna—and for this year’s collaboration, they are the messengers of spring.

'Spring is Blooming' was inspired by the 'Frivole' and 'Lucky Spring' collections. I was intrigued by the way color is inserted into Lucky Spring. You’ll recognize some floral elements pulled directly from that inspiration. We developed a tailored palette this year—light blue cherry blossoms, soft yellows—new hues that also echo my latest paintings. The installation becomes a large-scale, immersive décor. A tribute to the wonders of nature, a journey through an enchanted forest.

At the core of my practice is the desire to share joy and happiness. I always look for materials that can truly carry vivid color (I studied industrial design because I wanted to deeply understand objects, materials, textures, and forms.) Each year, the color palette changes. This year, I used Japanese watercolors that are also rich in pigment. There’s a new moss green, a pale yellow—each shade is carefully selected. I think this intensity of color defines much of my work.

I love creating for public spaces. There’s something so meaningful about allowing people to experience something together—something that momentarily transforms their everyday life. That’s what I love about Spring is Blooming this year. It’s a public installation meant to be shared. Events are planned around it—weekend dance performances, floral classes, drawing masterclasses. 

My favorite thing is to look at it from a distance—to see it on a grand scale. There’s so much work behind it, so many collaborators. We pay attention to every detail, and our hope is always the same: to share joy, to capture the feeling of spring. I’m always honored to see people engaging with it—to see the work come alive. And we're very fortunate to present this immersive garden installation at the Rockefeller Center in New York—one of the most incredible and inspiring public spaces I know.