Fresh off the news that Jay-Z and Beyoncé would become brand ambassadors for Tiffany & Co., the power couple has been spotted in their first campaign for the LVMH-owned brand and it features a never-before-seen painting by the late Jean-Michel Basquiat.
One would be forgiven to think that the artwork, entitled Equals Pi, was in fact commissioned by the jeweler — going off the robin egg blue background that dominates the painting. However, the artwork was only recently acquired by the brand and was in the possession of a private collector since the early 1980s. There is no “literature that says he made the painting for Tiffany’s,” said Tiffany’s VP, Alexandre Arnault in an interview with WWD. “We know he loved New York, and that he loved luxury and he loved jewelry. My guess is that the [blue painting] is not by chance. The color is so specific that it has to be some kind of homage,” Arnault added.
Shot by photographer Mason Poole, Bey is seen wearing the brand’s penultimate Tiffany Diamond — a 128.54 carat gem first unearthed in South Africa in 1877 and has only been worn by three other people — Mary Whitehouse, Audrey Hepburn, and Lady Gaga.
As the only item that reflects the brand’s trademark color, the inclusion of the Basquiat painting is an artful way to “modernize Tiffany blue” said Arnault. Tiffany’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue is currently under renovations, but when open, Equals Pi will become a permanent addition to the store.
In other Basquiat news, watch this film comparing the legendary New York artist to the great Jean Dubuffet.
