There is no doubt that the Lacloche brand was once a very fashionable and avant-garde brand in its day. However, many years have passed since then.
In other words, what was avant-garde back then may have become outdated today. Therefore, for Mr. Benjamin, who wants to revive the family business, it is natural to showcase some more impactful items in his first exhibition.
In fact, according to Benjamin's thinking, if the designs Liang En created this time didn't meet expectations, he would still bring out some old but never-before-revealed family jewels to participate in the event.
This doesn't mean he had any particular opinion about Liang En or didn't trust him; rather, he understood that design work sometimes required a bit of luck, and even the top designers were no exception.
One could say that top designers could indeed produce excellent work at any time, but creating truly artistic masterpieces was not so simple.
Even for those great artists who made a name for themselves in history, their most outstanding works required the perfect combination of time, place, and people, making them rare and therefore precious.
While some excellent works usually suffice, for a brand like Lacloche, making its first appearance after being dormant for over half a century, it wasn't enough—especially at the Paris Antique Biennale.
The Paris Antique Biennale is the most famous and influential art fair in the world. Under normal circumstances, it takes place in mid-September during even-numbered years, but this year, due to certain reasons, it was postponed for more than half a month, giving Liang En and his team an opportunity.
This event has a history of over fifty years. In 1962, the first Antique Dealers' Biennale was officially held at the Grand Palais in Paris.
Under the famous glass dome of the Grand Palais, the top antique dealers, jewelers, booksellers, and art merchants from France and around the world gathered amid pavilions, gardens, and water features to witness this grand event.
The Biennale's predecessor was the "Antique Dealers' Fair," a concept that emerged in the 1950s and was solidified in 1956 under the leadership of Pierre Vandermeersch, then chairman of the Antique Dealers' Guild.
For nearly 60 years since, the Biennale has been organized by the French National Union of Antique Dealers (SNA). The decision to host the event at the Grand Palais, a legendary Parisian landmark built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle, is credited to André Malraux.
To this day, the SNA remains committed to a rigorous and professional standard for exhibitors, ensuring that each exhibit meets an impeccable level of artistic quality.
As an unmissable event in the art world for over 60 years, the Paris Antique Biennale attracts the top art and antique dealers who showcase their most prized masterpieces.
The Biennale's exhibits are vast, ranging from 17th-century furniture and rare manuscripts to modern sculptures and paintings, all leaving spectators in awe.
However, the most attention-grabbing aspect of the Biennale is not the antique displays or the modern art, but rather the exhibits from the world's most prestigious high-end jewelers.
Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, Harry Winston, Piaget... these titans of luxury jewelry are just a turn away from you, and such an exhibition cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
Moreover, they only showcase "one-of-a-kind" jewelry masterpieces, and this may be your only chance to see these works because seasoned collectors have been eagerly waiting for years and are ready to snap them up.
Even though it's called the Paris Antique Biennale, not everything on display is necessarily antique. Especially for these jewelers, they've made extensive preparations for the biennial jewelry event.
Jewelry designers from various houses have poured their creativity into their work, and master craftsmen have applied their exceptional skills, creating these artistic jewelry masterpieces, continuously innovating while preserving tradition.
The Biennale is an open exhibition, and even without an official or brand invitation, one can enter by purchasing a ticket. Admiring the antique artworks and modern jewelry at the Biennale is definitely a must-do for exhibition-goers.
After all, here, you can find everything from 3rd-century Indian Buddha statues to Yves Klein's blue sculptures and the exquisite creations of top jewelry brands. For anyone, this opportunity is invaluable.
Unlike a museum, aside from appreciating the world's top artistic masterpieces, if you have the financial means, you can take home a piece of jewelry or an antique that you fall in love with.
Moreover, anything purchased at the Biennale is bound to have immense potential in the future because everything here has been carefully selected by the exhibitors—whether it's an antique or a modern piece, it is a top-quality item.
In addition, the venue design and the exquisite cuisine offered daily at the Biennale are major highlights. Fine dining is an indispensable part of the French "art of living," often regarded as a form of artistic expression.
This "art of living" is vividly portrayed at the Biennale, with many famous restaurants present, including a large number of Michelin-starred establishments.
More importantly, the venue is filled with social elites, industry leaders, and renowned designers, all of whom can be freely engaged with, offering a rare opportunity for those lucky enough to attend to learn from them.
Whether in terms of culture, art, or history, they have interesting and unique insights. Of course, if you're lucky, you might even get to discuss your own matters with them, leading to unexpected surprises.
Thus, participating in this exhibition is an extraordinary event for the Lacloche family, one that required using the last of their favors within the jewelry industry, in addition to calling upon their connections in the art world, to secure a spot.
"By the way, Mr. Liang, here is your invitation." After completing the inspection and putting the jewelry back into the box, Benjamin took out two invitations from his bag and handed them to Liang En. "Please be sure to visit the booth at that time."
"Three days later, huh? I think we should be able to make it." After glancing at the date on the invitation, Liang En nodded. To be honest, he was quite interested in these things.
After all, this is the world's top antique gathering, and for Liang En, there might be something he wants to purchase, especially items that are hard to find under normal circumstances.
If it were a few years ago, he definitely wouldn't have shopped at such an event that required spending a lot of money. But now, as someone who is financially well-off, spending some money on his hobbies has indeed become a good idea.
As for this invitation, it also has its significance. Although tickets can be purchased to enter the event, networking is almost impossible for those who just buy tickets, and access to some exhibit areas is also restricted.
However, on the other hand, these two invitations aren't particularly valuable to Liang En, because whether it was Marie, Elizabeth, or Mr. Duris, they could all get these tickets.
Liang En had just been waiting because he knew that under normal circumstances, Lacloche would definitely invite him, and at that time, he should stand by this emerging brand. As it turns out, things indeed went as expected.
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