Luxury has a new epitomizing image. JAY-Z and Beyoncé star in the latest ad campaign for Tiffany & Co. alongside not only the iconic Tiffany Diamond, but a never-before-seen Jean-Michel Basquiat painting.
Part of the famed jeweler’s brand renovation since being purchased by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (aka “Holy Crap All These Brands Are the Same Company”), the year-long campaign marks the first time both JAY and Bey have appeared in ads together. In addition to the Mason Poole-shot images being plastered in fashion magazines and on Times Square billboards over the coming year, there will be a video component that finds Beyoncé covering “Moon River.” The short film/music video was directed by Emmanuel Adjei, the co-director of Black Is King.
“Moon River” isn’t the only Breakfast at Tiffany’s throwback in the campaign. Beyoncé is seen wearing the Tiffany Diamond, a 128.54-carat, 82-faceted gemstone discovered in 1877 in South Africa. It’s the first time the stone has appeared in a Tiffany ad, and Beyoncé is just the third woman ever to wear the piece following Mary Whitehouse, Audrey Hepburn (in the film, natch), and Lady Gaga.
As for the rare Basquiat painting, the 1982 work dubbed “Equals Pi” had sat in a private collection since the early 1980s until it was acquired by Tiffany. The luxury brand was interested in the piece because of its abundant use of Tiffany Blue. While Tiffany’s executive vice president of products and communications Alexandre Arnault told Yahoo! there’s no “literature” that ties “Equals Pi” to Tiffany, the connection seems apparent.
“…We know a little bit about Basquiat,” said Arnault. “We know his family. We did an exhibition of his work at the Louis Vuitton Foundation a few years back. We know he loved New York, and that he loved luxury and he loved jewelry. My guess is that the [blue painting] is not by chance. The color is so specific that it has to be some kind of homage.”
Check out the first images from JAY-Z and Beyoncé’s Tiffany campaign below, and stay tuned for that “Moon River” cover.
All this — the rare painting, the $30 million diamond — just further solidifies JAY and Bey as the new ideal of the upperist of the upper crust. The billionaire couple also recently bought what could be the world’s most expensive car, a $28 million custom-built Rolls-Royce Boat Tail with built-in rear deck. Meanwhile, Beyoncé is posed to expand her portfolio by building her own hemp farm to manufacture CBD.
JAY-Z and Beyoncé, photo by Mason Poole for Tiffany & Co.
JAY-Z and Beyoncé, photo by Mason Poole for Tiffany & Co.
