SIGN IN BACK TO STORIES FRENCH ARTIST JULIEN COLOMBIER CHALKS COGNAC “The parallel between my art and Hennessy is the relationship to nature; it’s my basic theme and the Maison’s fundamental material,” Julien Colombier explains about the importance of nature and why he’ll bid on it. Humans are masters at absorbing the world through all their senses. When the French artist Julien Colombier visited Cognac, he stared at his surroundings in amazement. He scraped his fingers through nitty-gritty grits and leafy leaves. He coughed on a mouthful of crumbling bark from an ancient Quercus robur, then went on to explore more. “At Hennessy, I was really impressed by the notion of time. There are so many generations represented. Hennessy writes their history with eaux-de-vie. And then, there’s one instant where the Maison decides to blend them. And suddenly all these eaux-de-vie that have been slumbering for dozens of years, or hundreds, are awoken to make a new blend. That’s really crazy. And for me, it’s the same. I reflect, I let things macerate, and then suddenly I move into action; and we have the work that takes shape. Just like cognac takes shape and comes to life.” After Colombier’s visit, he was eager to show Cognac through his eyes. The Paris-based artist has always been drawn to nature and remote terrains, much like bees to honey. It felt only natural to invite him, and his crayons, across the country and observe as he ventured into the convenient – but still wild – sceneries around Cognac and the Bagnolet. Seated down, the bespectacled Colombier sampled a fiery cognac, distilled traditionally through one of the swan neck Charentais copper stills and extracted from the finest eaux-de-vie. “Just like cognac, nature is a blend,” he muttered as he sipped from the snifter and took a mental picture of a nearby cognac bottle for later study. “I found it incredible when I realised that they were blending so many eaux-de-vie, and that they’ve been doing this for more than 250 years. It’s an extremely precise work of composition that really resembles the way one makes a work of art – taking a little something from this and a little something from that and blending them to create the perfect combination. The idea of blending is in fact the same when it comes to making a good cognac as it is when it comes to making a good work of art.” His visit progressed and came to an end; seasons changed and passed in crystalline glimpses – winter snow fell mutely over the grapevines, buds sprouted – and left stood the spectators to admire the only thing constant in nature: the eternal cycle of renewal. Hennessy V.S x Julien Colombier The collaboration between Hennessy and Julien Colombier reveals an artistic universe – inspired by a luxuriant plant world, and showcased through Limited Edition bottles. MORE PURCHASE Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège x Julien Colombier The collaboration between Hennessy and Julien Colombier reveals an artistic universe – inspired by a luxuriant plant world, and showcased through Limited Edition bottles. MORE PURCHASE Hennessy X.O x Julien Colombier The collaboration between Hennessy and Julien Colombier reveals an artistic universe – inspired by a luxuriant plant world, and showcased through Limited Edition bottles. MORE PURCHASE STORIES WORLD OF HENNESSY NEWSLETTER Please register to stay in touch with Hennessy and receive our latest news. COLLECTION COLLABORATIONS COCKTAILS STORIES MAISON VISIT US CONTACT US FAQS PRIVACY & COOKIES NOTICE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE COOKIE SETTINGS © 2021 HENNESSY We use cookies and other tracking technologies to operate the website, measure and analyze the site's audience, present you with personalized advertising outside the site, and enable certain social networks to function. Optional cookies (which are not strictly necessary to make our site work) require your consent before being set. You can consent to their setting by clicking on ‘Accept all optional cookies’. You can at any time change your preferences, withdraw your consent, and access to the list of third parties using cookies on our site by using our cookies consent management tool. For more detailed information about personal data collected via cookies and the cookies we use,click here. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies