Popular American Artist Becomes TAG Heuer Art Provocateur

　　Miami, USA, 29 11 2016 — On the occasion of Contemporary Art Week 2016 in Miami, Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of Swiss Avant-Garde watchmaker TAG Heuer and President of the LVMH Group Watch Division, announced that the wildly popular American artist Alec Monopoly has becomeTAG Heuer watches'Art Provocateur.

　　Alec Monopoly, street artist

　　Always wearing a top hat and concealing his face with a bandana, how exactly did Alec Monopoly, who maintains such a low profile, become famous? As it turns out, Alec Monopoly takes his pseudonym from a widely recognised character of the same name in his works — Mr. Monopoly from the board game, the suave, short and stocky banker who appears across many different scenarios.

　　"I started my graffiti career in New York; the city gave me endless inspiration." In 2008, Alec left New York for California, the very year the financial crisis hit the United States. The subprime mortgage crisis, Wall Street collapse, Bernard Madoff fraud case... the entire financial industry plummeted into its darkest period in history. All of this was reflected in Alec's works, launching his career. "I tried to interpret what was happening at the time through my own unique medium." His works began gaining a huge following among street art enthusiasts online, and people started calling him "Alec Monopoly".

　　From then on, he conceived multiple scenarios depicting this short banker... His vibrant works featuring this character were full of humour and achieved worldwide acclaim as a result. At the same time, Alec Monopoly gradually shifted his focus, placing other iconic pop culture characters into new contexts, such as Donald Duck's miserly uncle Scrooge McDuck, Richie Rich, and more. Today, Alec's signature has become highly sought after. Numerous American celebrities, such as Seth Rogen, Adrien Brody, and Robert De Niro, have added his creations to their collections.

　　Achieving fame and success altered Alec Monopoly's relationship with painting. "When I was young, I was crazy, constantly spray-painting trains and buildings everywhere." Has time tamed Mr. Monopoly? Not quite. "I'm still obsessed with graffiti. Whenever there's an opportunity, I want to quickly tag out the emotions I want to express. Street art remains my favorite."

　　Jean-Claude Biver was thoroughly convinced! Thus, a few months ago in Switzerland, he not only invited Alec to serve as the Art Provocateur for the watch manufacture under his stewardship to inject fresh creativity into the brand, but also invited Alec Monopoly to tag his signature across the TAG Heuer boutique building in the heart of Miami's Design District, matching the artistic atmosphere of the famous Contemporary Art Week.

　　Alec Monopoly stated: "I have always had a special passion for watches. Through this invaluable collaboration with TAG Heuer, I hope to integrate my creativity into the brand. I believe this is a perfect opportunity to combine my artistic talent with my passion for timepieces."

　　Jean-Claude Biver said: "Be first, unique and different — this is the philosophy I have adhered to for over 40 years. Now that Alec is TAG Heuer's Art Provocateur, I hope not only that the brand continues to connect with the younger generation and millennials, but also that it showcases fresh performance across every area, from product, marketing, and communications to sales. Alec's disruptive creativity and boundless passion are the ultimate catalysts!"

　　The following day, Jean-Claude Biver and Alec Monopoly jointly unveiled a massive graffiti wall created by Alec inside the Mondrian Gallery at the Mondrian South Beach in Miami. Crafted with full support from TAG Heuer, this unconventional temporary art installation has become an unmissable stop for artists flocking to Miami Contemporary Art Week since its launch.

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