Van Cleef & Arpels’ Fifth Avenue ‘Blooms’ Promotion in The 550 Garden

Van Cleef & Arpels celebrated spring with colorful floral designs along Fifth Avenue and in The 550 Garden. In partnership with the Fifth Avenue Association, Van Cleef unveiled “Fifth Avenue Blooms,” featuring numerous sidewalk installations by French artist Alexandre Benjamin Navet.
“I am very excited to see my designs at this scale and the unfolding gardens displayed in such a vibrant and inspiring place,” stated artist Alexandre Benjamin Navet. “This season’s dialogue with the Maison is inspired by a walk in a beautiful garden when Spring is blooming. Violets, peonies, clematis, delphinium but also architectural garden details such as fences, carved stone planters from the 19th century and beautiful alleys.”

As a multi-disciplinary artist, Navet applies vibrant hues, as well as numerous techniques including Japanese watercolor and pencil to draw the viewer into his imagination. To bring in a fresh perspective, he chose to use new materials which create a connection between cut-out pieces of paper and color.

For the first three weekends in the month of May, Van Cleef & Arpels engaged the public with a daytime program highlighted by activities designed for families and visitors. Live contemporary dance performances, children’s storybook readings, live painting, poetry readings and educational conversations were among the activities that took place at The 550 Garden.

Awards & Certifications:
550 Madison has received a host of awards since the recent completion of the repositioning project. In addition to the Municipal Art Society’s MASterworks Award for Best Restoration and the ULI Americas Awards for Excellence, the property has been honored with the Architizer A+Awards for Commercial Interiors; Interior Design’s Award of Merit; Sara New York’s Award of Merit for the lobby; IALD Lighting Design Award; LIT Lighting Design Award; ASLA 2023 General Design Merit Award for The Garden; AIA’s Award for Urban Design, as well as LEED Platinum Certification and WELL Gold Certification.

Olayan thanks the extraordinary 550 Madison project team: Snøhetta, which designed The 550 Garden; The Rockwell Group, which designed the amenities spaces, and Gensler, which redesigned the lobby.