Maison Hennessy heralds the Lunar New Year with an artistic collaboration by famed artist Yan Pei-Ming, one of the world’s most celebrated and sought-after contemporary artists.
The collaboration features an incredible, larger-than-life painting called La Grande Course — an allusion to the fable of the race that selected the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac — painted in the artist’s signature ephemeral style. Additionally, the collaboration between the Maison and Yan Pei-Ming also introduces a beautiful, numbered series of limited-edition Hennessy V.S.O.P and Hennessy X.O cognacs.
These limited Lunar New Year editions of Hennessy V.S.O.P and Hennessy X.O cognacs feature elements of Yan Pei-Ming’s La Grande Course.
Renowned for his portraits of animals and famous personalities, Yan Pei-Ming honours the Year of the Rabbit with a monumental painting, measuring 6×3.5 metres, showing the animal within the extended family of the Chinese zodiac. The allegory is one of togetherness in diversity: across generations, geography and families — and despite differences — sharing culture is what connects us all.
For the first time in his remarkable career, Yan Pei-Ming ventures into a new palette: amber, orange, russet and burgundy tones take pride of place in a composition that nods to the amber and mahogany hues of Hennessy X.O. The artist’s signature broad, sweeping brush strokes impart a sense of universality, immediacy, and adventure.
The work’s true subject, the artist notes, is not one animal or another, or even the cognac itself. Instead, Yan Pei-Ming wished to focus on capturing light. “When you hold a bottle of cognac up to sunlight, its hues vary so much. I wanted to portray cognac — but it’s light that is really the colour of this painting,” the artist says.
He added: “La Grande Course is a major piece of my oeuvre. It’s rather monumental, with animals in movement, and a colour – the colour of cognac – that I’ve never used before. I wanted to do something exceptional, something complicated, that I would be proud of.”
Chinese by birth and naturalised French, the Expressionist artist has a life story that in many ways mirrors that of Richard Hennessy, the Irish-born founder of the House that, more than 250 years later, still bears his name. Like him, Yan Pei-Ming’s story is one of striking out for adventure, embracing a vision, and building a life in a foreign land. Having seamlessly integrated into French culture, the artist graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Dijon and made that city his home and the heart of his practice.
Honour the Lunar New Year with Hennessy at MO BAR and Cherry Garden
From 9 January to 5 February 2023, ring in the new year and tantalise your tastebuds with exclusive, limited-time pairing menus and creations at the internationally acclaimed MO BAR and the eclectic, modern Chinese restaurant Cherry Garden.
At MO BAR, guests will be delighted by four Hennessy-inspired drinks, all created with the same flair and creativity that the famed bar is known for.
The artistry of the Maison’s creations are given new depths with creations like the Peranakan Cognac Old-Fashioned, which features Hennessy XO, pandan and bitters, and the Asian Side Car, a spicy, bracing drink that beautifully combines orange liqueur, lemon, and the richness of Hennessy XO. Other creations include the Bitter Sweet — which combines Hennessy VSOP with chocolate and gula melaka — and the festive Hennessy Milk Punch, which features Hennessy VSOP, milk, vanilla, and nutmeg. For those who prefer their drinks neat, MO BAR will also offer Hennessy XO and Hennessy VSOP by the glass and bottle.
Delight your senses with a reunion meal to remember at Cherry Garden, which now presents luxurious, specially-curated meals that pair beautifully with either Hennessy VSOP or Hennessy XO.
In the menu that puts the Hennessy VSOP in the spotlight, guests can expect a sumptuous meal filled with only the freshest premium seafood. The meal begins with an indulgent Yu Sheng platter which consists of Atlantic Salmon, Canadian Lobster, and Oscietra caviar, and then continues with a thick superior broth packed with fish maw, bird’s nest and crab claw.
Guests can also expect to feast on classic delights like whole roasted crispy suckling pig, steamed coral trout in homemade soy, and pan-fried Hokkaido scallop with pearl rice in mini golden pumpkin.
The second menu has the Hennessy XO as the star, with a greater emphasis on rich flavours; expect to indulge in a beautiful pan-fried Miyazaki A5 Wagyu sirloin with homemade cherry sauce and sautéed vegetables, braised 3-head South African abalone with crispy sea cucumber, and winter shiitake mushroom in premium abalone sauce. The meal ends off on a sweet note with a bowl of chilled double-boiled bird’s nest with American ginseng and red dates, and a duo style of Chinese nian gao.
These limited-time menus and creations are available from 9 January to 5 February 2023 at MO BAR and Cherry Garden (5 Raffles Avenue, Singapore 039797). The limited Lunar New Year edition of Hennessy V.S.O.P cognac is available for purchase online here and the limited Lunar New Year edition of Hennessy X.O cognac is available for purchase here. Revel in the spirit of the Lunar New Year with Hennessy for a year filled with abundance, prosperity and blessings in 2023. We wish you a prosperous Year of the Rabbit!
