ALCHEMY VR TAKES VIEWERS INTO VIRTUAL GALLERY FOR HEFFEL FINE ART AUCTION HOUSE
May 20, 2018
Alchemy VR’s latest project was launched today and is an experience made for global art market leader Heffel Fine Art Auction House. The experience has launched to coincide with the sale of Paul-Émile Borduas’ Figures Schématiques in Heffel’s upcoming spring auction on 30th May. The 1956 masterpiece canvas is one of the Canadian artist’s most acclaimed works and is expected to sell for an estimated $3-5 million CAD.
The team at Alchemy created a virtual gallery which allows the user to enter a fully CGI rendered gallery space, where they can view the iconic painting. This provides international buyers, who cannot visit the gallery, the unique opportunity to see and experience the painting prior to the sale. The experience combines cutting-edge CG graphics created by award winning VFX studio ZooFX, with real images of the world-famous painting. As well as exploring the painting in detail, viewers will learn more about the artist , Bordaus and the Les Automatistes, a group of Québécois artists from Montreal, Canada to which he belonged. The film has been translated into seven different languages – English, French, Arabic, German, Russian, Mandarin and Japanese – to reach Heffel’s large demographic of global buyers.
Anthony Geffen, CEO and Creative Director at Alchemy VR says: “It has been a great pleasure to be able to bring not only this iconic painting, but the backstory of Borduas and incredible group of artists to life, through the power of virtual reality. It showcases one of the many applications this innovative technology can have for the art world, enabling people around the world to experience this exquisite painting.’
David Heffel, President of Heffel Fine Auction House says “We are thrilled to be able to reach our international collectors and enthusiasts through this virtual experience. Paul-Émile Borduas’ Figures schématiques presents a once-in-a-lifetime market opportunity and this new media will help the monumental canvas find its new home.”
The 4 minute experience will be sent to Heffel Fine Art Auction House clients in bespoke packaging and it will also exhibited at the public previews in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal before the auction on 30th May. It can also be viewed online here.
