President and CEO of Cartier at the Cartier Dome in Miami
WHITEWALL: Could you please tell me about Cartier’s partnership with Art Basel Miami?
BERNARD FORNAS: We started this partnership in Miami a year ago, and so this year is the second year. And we thought that it was very legitimate for Cartier to be a partner with the Miami Art Fair because as you know we have the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art in Paris. This is the largest fair, so we had to be linked to Basel and Basel Miami. Last year we had a very big exhibition with David Lynch that was part of the Cartier Foundation. And so this was a kind of continuation of that, because as you know he designed this installation in the dome. So we are very happy because he is a charming person and a Cartier lover. The whole thing has gone very well.
WW: How did you originally start working with David Lynch?
BF: About three years ago we thought it would be nice to have him as a part of the Cartier Foundation. He was very happy about possible development. It went quite well, and we organized the exhibition which was a great, great success. We had so many thousands of people coming. And then when we had to make a choice for the exhibition, David was the ideal person. We also had some security constraints. We had to respect a few things. But we found the right compromise.
WW: I know that Mr. Lynch came up with the installation, but can you tell me a little about this installation in your own words? And can you tell me about how it relates conceptually to Cartier?
BF: This is an extension of our big maison in Paris. This is a maison, and it is once again important, as it is in our boutiques, to have curtains and carpets. And we wanted something practical because we have dinners. Last night we had two hundred people seated here for our dinner. And so we had to respect this. I mean, maybe we should have the vitrines, or displays, in the middle, but then we could not arrange those dinners since we cannot move all of these. But we have the walls that we wanted. And also have a space to accommodate private dinners, or other types of events. Last night it was beautiful. With all of the candles, it looked really beautiful, really different. And Cartier is all about being different. If you are in New York when we open the Christmas season in New York, Cartier is the place for the Christmas season.
WW: I am interested in the jewelry that you have chosen to exhibit here. Was that also Mr. Lynch’s decision, or was that your decision?
BF: That was our decision. This exhibition is representative of what we do. We bring a lot of things, because when people want a specific presentation then we have something for that presentation. It’s really a combination of creativity and savoir faire that we have. We want to show a wide variety of things, and more importantly, we want to show our creativity because this is what makes Cartier different. Other stores sell diamonds. We are selling jewelry. We give added value to the stone. I mean the stone is one thing. The work of Cartier is different. And there is a reason that all the celebrities; all the well-known people; the maharajah; have visited Cartier. I mean, we don’t give work to the newly trained jeweler, or the jeweler who has been working for five years, because it is really the feeling of the artisan which makes the difference.
WW: That relates to my next question. Could you describe more about how you see the relationship between Cartier and the Contemporary art world?
BF: Most of the things here are unique. There is only one of each in the world. And that is ultimate luxury. With a lot of people what they want is to have something that nobody else will have. If you have something that nobody could have, I mean they can say whatever they want, but they will never get it. And that is ultimate luxury. It’s not easy what we do. I mean, that’s why we have 27 people who work as our designers. We also do a lot of bespoke products. For example, if your grandmother gave you a beautiful stone, then you come to Cartier to have us create the ring of your dreams that you cannot get anywhere else. We will draw it together, the ring or the necklace of your dreams. We will design it and make it for you. And that again is ultimate luxury. This is what we are all about. You know, what I think is important in the times that we are going through, is that people always come back to true luxury. I mean you buy this and you buy that, and you see some little thing and you want to buy it. But things go bad, and then when you buy something you come back to the real thing: The real legitimate place. They come to Cartier. And also, there is a different attitude now. Because when things go bad there is a new type of thing which is ‘passion investment’. You have the pleasure to wear it, and you are passionate, and you like it. I mean, you put money in your bank today, and maybe your bank tomorrow will be bankrupt. But this is in your pocket. It is a product which you wear, that is difficult to find. And that thing has come back in the last couple of years….or months. I mean you can go on the internet, and buy a diamond. But Cartier is different. This is our life for a hundred and sixty years. And that has made us totally legitimate.
