This fall, the legendary house of Perrier-Jouët debuts a suite of elaborate frescoes, created by artist Jo Lynn Alcorn, that correspond with the champagne-maker’s five, distinct cuvees, and the qualities and flavor notes found in each.
For 200 years Perrier-Jouët has defined elegance, luxury, and quality. Established in 1811 as one of the first houses of champagne, its founders Pierre-Nicolas-Marie Perrier and Adele Jouët were the first to cork their wines and stamp their initials with authenticity. Perrier-Jouët’s success still lies within its original 160 acres of vineyards in the Épernay region of Champagne, France. Its vines weave through the most distinguished countryside in the entire area, growing the most outstanding of chardonnay grapes (the primary ingredient to the world’s most refined champagnes). Since its inception, Perrier-Jouët has treated the process of making champagne as an art form.
Art, in fact, is an essential part of Perrier-Jouët. Emile Gallé, a master of the Art Nouveau movement, designed the original bottles in 1902. Gallé originated the white anemones that embellish Perrier-Jouët’s bottle, a sophisticated, ephemeral nod to nature and beauty. Inspired by the turn-of-the-century movement, Perrier-Jouët has gathered one of the most prestigious private collections of Art Nouveau works showcased in their guest house, the Maison Belle Epoque.
And recently, paper artist Jo Lynn Alcorn was commissioned to create five picturesque frescoes that highlight the qualities of each of Perrier-Jouët’s distinct champagnes. Everything Jo Lynn Alcorn creates is drawn from nature. As a lover of Art Nouveau herself, she instantly felt a connection to Perrier-Jouët’s celebrated aesthetic. Alcorn’s work interprets nature’s rich details and endless variety in beautiful ways through the art of finely, hand-cut paper. She approached this collaboration with Perrier-Jouët the same way. To make her frescoes, the artists filled her studio with white hand cut flowers and elegant natural elements spiraling together to create the perfect visual representation of five cuvées. Alcorn worked with images of the Perrier-Jouët house and its bottles while her own research on the delicate ingredients found in the delectable champagne.
She began in her Connecticut studio quickly cutting from white Canson paper, forming flowers, vines, fruits, and the typography for Perrier-Jouët by hand. The artist used an electric paper cutter for the precisely detailed architectural forms of the House of Perrier-Jouët and its doors, drafting even the most minute of details to match it exactly. The pieces are nearly precious, ephemeral, and delicate like the nature they are inspired by. The frescoes (in parts) were flown to France where Alcorn worked closely with Japanese photographer Kanji Ishi to photograph them. A large roll of the same white Canson paper was ordered and used as a backdrop to the installations that were built in studio, sometimes reaching up to four feet in length and height. Alcorn worked consistently through the shoot building each fresco one day ahead. The series of frescoes depict a range of scenes: white anemones draped over the house of Perrier-Jouët, white garland with robust bursts of green, strawberries and an alluring rose, spiraling flowers, dancing butterflies, honeycombs, and golden blooms.
The results are, in a word, breathtaking. They illustrate the freshness, intensity and delicacy of Grand Brut champagne, the generosity and aromatic richness of Blason Rosé champagne, the fresh, floral character and remarkable elegance of the cuvée Belle Epoque, the floral character and extraordinary aromatic richness of the cuvée Belle Epoque Rosé, and the exceptional finesse and aromatic subtlety of the cuvée Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs, a champagne made from 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay. Rendered in crisp white with hints of color to describe the character of each piece without overpowering it, the final product truly captures the wine style of Perrier-Jouët: floral, stylish and diamond cut.
The artist starts making a scale drawing of the fresco.
Then she cuts each single element according to the pattern.
Above two images: Pre-cut elements are individually assembled.
Above two images: Perrier-Jouët’s iconic elements such as the House’s front door or the famous anemones are recreated out of paper.
All the paper elements are then sorted.
Once all elements are sorted out, the artist starts creating the paper artwork assembling everything together.
The finishing touches are made by the artist before the entire fresco is photographed.
