INTERVIEW with BERNARD PICTET, THE GLASS ALCHEMIST
Which art periods inspire you the most ?
Bernard Pictet’s mastery of glass attract an ational up-scale clientele inc‘ luding Chanel, Dior, Guerlain, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Boucheron and Chaumet in addition to numerous personalities.
The Art periods which inspire me the most are the modern and contemporary periods, ie the 20th and 21st century. However I am also inspired by many other elements from different periods.
how did you come to design glass products in the luxury world ?
It came pretty naturally. I started to produce luxury items 15 years ago. At this time all architects and interior designers were into minimalism. I have always stood out of trends. They influence me but I never want to follow trends, I want my creations to be personal and I also want these to be lasting. Do you know the French expression: “what is caught by the wind has the same destiny as a dead leaf”. It sums up what I think. I have tried to make outstanding things without being totally blind to the trends. This is what brought me to make patterns, patterns were not trendy at the time. The other thing is that by a constant evolution I have ended up in the luxury world, as much because of my upper class customers’ demands and because I was showing off more luxurious products. I like luxury, but not any kind of luxury. I like the luxury which expresses something, the one with a soul. For me luxury is uniqueness.
how did you start creating elements for Yachts? What was your favorite creation ?
Yacht owners want uniqueness and are not restricted by the price of glass. The most important is uniqueness and pleasingness. I aspire to do distinctive products. That’s why I was naturally bought to the yachting industry. The first yacht onboard which I made a glass design was the EOS by Lurssen, a 93 meters sailing yacht. I love sails. The interior designer was Francois Catroux. We made everything in the style of the 30’s. After this project, I met Remi Tessier, he is the one who launched me in the yachting world. I really enjoy working with him, I love his style. Nevertheless, I have just finished an amazing creation with Reymond Langton, for Lady S 93 meters yacht. I have done many more with many more people , but as I said Remi Tessier launched me, because of his successful and
renown designs. I was then asked to produce a stair wall spreading over three floors, aboard the Quinta Essential Yacht, with the interior designer Michela Reverberi, a very challenging design.
how long did it take to complete the Quinta essentia glass work ?
5 to 6 months to produce it. Not taking into account transportation and placing which are not done by us. We usually have wooden pattern. For example for the boat we just completed we had hundreds of patternsi. Usually, glasses are not very big, the largest we had was 1.40 x 3.5 meters.
What are the constraints applicable to glass work for yacht ?
Weight is not really an issue. It might affect speed so sometimes we are limited. However a mega Yacht is already so heavy that 3 tones of glass is insignificant. Shipyards always try to reduce thickness, but it can become to fragile. There is an other important issue we face, it must be safe glass everywhere and it also create thickness constraints. Often shipyards will bond the whole surface when the type of glass can be bonded. That is irreversible and shall the glass break there is a requirement to replace the entire glass wall.
for the last ten years, we have noticed more interior decorations made from glass aboard Yachts. owners seek luxury and originality. how would you define your arts ?
What I love in my favorite products is mystery. When we look at my glass we wonder how it is made or what is it. I lay between art crafting and Art by itself. However, my glass creations always have a functional purpose as opposed to regulator art.
What are you current projects ?
I am working on different yacht projects, but I am not allowed to disclose any details. I am working on a massive villa in Italy, the Cheval Blanc Hotel in Paris, and many works for Cartier and Chaumet. In USA a large triptych which will be placed in front of a bay window, I took inspiration of Pierre Soulages, whom I like a lot. I am influenced by many contemporary artists but I never copy. I also really like Jesus Rafael Soto. I also have a very big project in Doha for a residence with Remi Tessier. And some smaller projects in Moscow.