The MET Store Announces Part with Swiss brand Caran d’Ache.
(New York, April 2017)—The Met Store announced today a collaboration with Caran d’Ache, the renowned Swiss manufacturer of fine-art materials and writing instruments. As part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s continued mission to educate customers about color and art making, The Met Store will offer an exclusive line of the Caran d’Ache fine-art materials featuring works from the Museum’s unparalleled collection of fine art representing over 5,000 years of world culture.
The first-ever partnership between Caran d’Ache and an art museum, the collaboration allows The Met’s main store to feature a bespoke color bar where customers can now create their own sets of 12 Caran d’Ache Supracolor water-soluble pencils, selecting from a range of more than 80 shades. To connect visitors to the art-making process and encourage creativity and imagination, the display will showcase color palettes inspired by various artworks in The Met collection, by artists from Rembrandt to Van Gogh. A dedicated drawing area will allow customers to experiment with these materials in-store before purchasing, and the area will also play host to an upcoming series of in-store art-making events in partnership with local artists.
In celebration of the launch, on Friday evening, April 21, The Met Store will host a live art-making event at The Met Fifth Avenue with New York–based fashion illustrator Megan Morrison of TravelWriteDraw. During the event, Morrison will speak about her career as an artist, create unique works of art inspired by The Met collection, and participate in a Q&A; there will also be a chance for participants to experiment with the new Met Store x Caran d’Ache materials firsthand.
In addition to the bespoke color bar, the line will include exclusive Met Store x Caran d’Ache color art material sets. Packaging will feature artworks from The Met collection that demonstrate effects that are similar to those that can be created with the given materials. Pairings will include Henri-Edmond Cross’s Garden of the Painter at Saint Clair with a set of 18 Supracolor Soft water-soluble pencils; Herbert E. Crowley’s River Landscape with Rapids with a set of 18 Pablo water-resistant pencils; Odilon
Redon’s Bouquet of Flowers with a set of 10 Neocolor II water-soluble pastels; and a detail of Georges Seurat’s Trombonist with a set of 6 graphite pencils.
As part of this lively and interactive product array, The Met Store will offer exclusive Met-branded versions of the iconic Caran d’Ache 849 ballpoint pen and 844 mechanical pencil in a range of colors, packaged in commemorative tins. These exclusive items will be accompanied by a selection of classic Caran d’Ache items ranging from pencil sharpeners to erasers, as well as Met-branded paper products to provide a comprehensive selection of superior art-making materials.
Select items from the Met Store x Caran d’Ache line are now available on the store’s website. The full product range is available only at The Met Fifth Avenue, with select items for purchase at The Met Breuer.
About The Met Store. The Met Store offers a selection of gifts inspired by The Met’s unparalleled collection and exhibition program, spanning more than 5,000 years of world culture, from prehistory to the present. The store has a presence in all three of the Museum’s iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters—as well as at Rockefeller Center and online at store.metmuseum.org. All purchases support The Met’s collection, study, conservation, and presentation of 5,000 years of art.
About Caran d’Ache. Caran d'Ache, Maison de Haute Ecriture, was founded by Arnold Schweitzer in 1915. With its priceless wealth of technical expertise, the company has carefully protected the art of handwriting. In the grand tradition of Swiss manufacturing, it designs and produces exceptional products, all of which carry the famous “Swiss-made” quality label. Recognized around the world for their excellence, these writing instruments, as well as Caran d’Ache fine art materials, are a daring combination of expertise and aesthetics.
Contact Morgan Pearce
T 212 650 2349
morgan.pearce@metmuseum.org
Communications
T 212 570 3951 communications@metmuseum.org