As a counterpoint to these nomadic exhibitions, and to start the countdown to its 300th anniversary, the oldest Champagne House launched an artistic programme in 2019 in the Champagne region where it has its roots. Each year, it invites artists to enrich its symbolic heritage by creating a work in situ. Ruinart thus supports contemporary artists whose understanding of nature sheds light on our vision of the world. Retour aux sources (2019) imagined by the duo Mouawad Laurier, combined innovation, creativity, and sustainability to raise awareness about climate change in Champagne. In 2021, Argentine artist Tomàs Saraceno created an artwork in the Maison s historic vineyard, on the Montagne de Reims, to highlight the urgency of the climate challenge. With the Aerocene performance, he shows that a single degree of additional temperature between the inflatable sculpture and the ambient air is enough to make it take off, in the same way that a one degree rise in the temperature of the Champagne region disrupts the fragile balance of the vine cycle.
Alongside these invitations to leading international artists, Ruinart also supports emerging talent. The Maison has set up and developed a programme to support local contemporary creation. In Paris, the Prix Maison Ruinart invites a young photographer to take part in an annual artistic residency in the Champagne region (Gosette Lubondo in 2021). In Los Angeles, on the occasion of FRIEZE LA, visual artist Suzanne Husky created the R.U.in.Art performance (2022). In Kyoto, the Ruinart Japan Award photography prize was awarded to Yuka Takasu in 2021. Finally, in Moscow, a commission is given to a Russian artist for the Cosmoscow Fair (Misha Buryj in 2021), as part of Ruinart Art Patronage.
Today more than ever, Ruinart believes in the power of art to transform our lives, connect us to others and elevate our spirit.