Simon de Pury, legendary art collector, DJ and auctioneer extraordinaire, and our Olympia Le-Tan® brand, are launching OLT X Picasso, a new collection of OLT’s signature book clutch bags featuring 10 masterpieces by Pablo Picasso selected by de Pury.
Picasso Collection curated by Simon de Pury
It was in 2019, shortly after de Pury auctioned off an OLT x Basquiat book clutch at the Snow Leopard Foundation in Kazakhstan for $90,000: "The clutches were always causing this reaction," Simon says, reflecting on his encounters with OLT. "I was fascinated by the craft and by the degree of quality with which they are made. The craftsmanship is outstanding. They are as original as they are extremely well done." Simon appreciates the "chicest clutches bags" not only as "an object worn by someone but also as a collecting item that can be leave on a table. It works as an object even when it’s not worn." That’s how OLT started to work on a collection curated by Simon. Simon is indeed an unconditional admirer of Picasso's work, "Ever since I was a child, I've followed his work. What always fascinates me is how fresh and how relevant he remains. I chose ten works that I personally like a lot, and that would translate well into a book clutch." Thus, taking Picasso's Le Rêve as an example, de Pury states that, "Le Rêve is a painting that has always made me dream. For me, this piece is really a dream.” So here at OLT, "we love getting in stories and Simon de Pury is one of our favorite storytellers. We could listen to him talk about his adventures and encounters with Picasso all day. Each selection of Picasso by Simon holds so many stories: a story about how it came to be, how it continues to live on, and how Simon knows them through his lived experiences. We are excited to see what new stories these Picassos will help show and tell in the hands of OLT collectors”.
Simon de Pury OLT X Picasso’s collection includes the following masterpieces:
1. Le rêve, 1932 (Collection particulière) 2. La femme qui pleure, 1937 (Tate, London) 3. Jeune fille devant un miroir, 1932 (MoMA, New York) 4. Portrait de Dora Maar, 1937 (Musée National Picasso, Paris) 5. Portrait de Angel Fernández de Soto, 1903 (Private Collection) 6. Danseur aux bras croisés, 1923 (The Ishibashi Foundation, Tokyo) 7. Arlequin au miroir, 1923 (Museo Thyssen, Madrid) 8. Le sauvetage, 1932 (Fondation Beyeler) 9. Le chandail jaune, 1939 (Musée Berggruen, Berlin) 10. Tête de femme avec un chapeau à pompons, 1962
Each masterpiece included in the OLT X Picasso collection will be hand-embroidered into limited editions of 77 book clutches. Today, three designs are available and three new styles will be released every six months, but you can from now on, reserve the complete collection below.