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2 About Futura Futura burst onto the art scene in New York in the early Seventies and rapidly gained recognition for brandishing his unique style of abstract graffiti on the walls and trains of the city. When he was 15 years old, Futura born Leonard ( Lenny ) McGurr began his career as a graffiti writer and went on to work with other future great names including Ali, with whom he founded the collective S.A. (Soul Artists). The leader of the Abstract Graffiti movement, he was the first artist to paint an entire subway car without any lettering. Its lyrical abstraction, then a unique artistic language on New York walls, soon became the hallmark of the Futura brand, or its tag. A singularity of line, which could be as thin as a pencil, and his mastery of aerosol paint propelled Futura to the top echelons of the graffiti movement as well as the contemporary art world. Indeed, Futura s career marks a turning point in the late Seventies and early Eighties, when graffiti became a part of the cultural landscape in New York and began to be shown in cutting-edge art galleries in the Bronx, the East Village and the Lower East Side. For Futura, the transition from underground to studio work was a natural evolution, although at the time it was considered by some to be a denial of the graffiti code and culture. Yet Futura s work has never lost its relevance: the variety of media he uses, his experiments and collaborations fuel his imagination and his artistic vitality. Now an icon in his own right, Futura has inspired an entire generation of artists thanks to his virtuoso style and his very personal, inventive universe, which came into being alongside those of Basquiat and Haring, with whom the artist exhibited in Making art is both Futura s connection with this world and his pathway to worlds beyond. His frescoes depict a fictional realm where the expressionism of colors confronts swiftness of line; a highly sensitive, impulsive and orchestrated energy evokes the artist s connection to the street. Today, Futura depicts the reality of his world through the internet. His website is a genuine virtual diary, a new and instantaneous medium of expression and a logical extension for a multi-faceted artist who continues to innovate and surprise. HD-HENNESSY_FUTURA-FICHES 225x307.indd 2 26/06/12 11:09

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4 Hennessy Very Special Limited Edition by Futura Behind the internationally acclaimed graffiti artist known as Futura is a man who has always been ahead of his time. From his early days as a graffiti writer in New York in the Seventies, Futura stood out for his use of color and line, his dynamic graphics and high energy. While other graffiti writers concentrated on plastering their names everywhere, Futura was pioneering a movement based on individual style. Today, he remains one of the world s most distinctive and beloved graffiti artists. But although his original approach has made him famous, Futura has never stopped pushing his vision forward. This quality is what makes Futura a natural collaborator for Hennessy. I had seen and admired Hennessy s previous artistic collaborations, but when I received an invitation to work with them, I was truly surprised and honored, he says. The possibilities are extremely inspirational. For this bottle, I wanted to create art that was completely unique yet true to myself, and I think the result is art that complements both the bottle and the Cognac, and as a visual object, the bottle fits right in with my artistic world. It was a truly great creative collaboration. Futura and Hennessy share a passion about the meeting of art and function. To create his limited edition bottle, Futura drew inspiration from Cognac s warm color palette, incorporating abstractions of his signature atomic motif and adapting his eye-catching use of line and shape to a new experience. For me, creation is about taking an inspiration and adapting it to my process, moving through the art to a new place, Futura explains. I never consider that I have arrived. I am always thinking about moving forward in life, being constantly challenged, staying curious and seeing what exciting things the future will bring. That s my passion. For Hennessy, Futura s distinctive visual identity and artistic sensibility his bold, forward-thinking use of color, line and form make him a kindred creative sprit. Like Hennessy, Futura has a distinctive style that sealed his reputation as a pioneer and innovator. Like Hennessy, Futura is a true original. HD-HENNESSY_FUTURA-FICHES 225x307.indd 4 26/06/12 11:09

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6 About Hennessy Very Special To create his special edition V.S. bottle designs, Futura started quite simply with the Cognac itself. I wanted to do something that had never been done before, which of course affected my choice of color, explains the artist. Futura came up with a warm, complementary color palette based on an amber ground, and used energetic splashes of yellow to capture the movement of Cognac swirling in a glass. He incorporated elements of Hennessy s history, such as the arm and broad axe, into his own sci-fi inspired universe, blending them together seamlessly in atomic whorls of hot pink and electric blue. Although infinitely smaller in scale than his usual canvas, each of the V.S. bottle s five elements the front, back and neck labels, the foil and stopper gave Futura a new way to consider space, and adapt his abstract approach and signature motifs accordingly. Some of the small elements on the label are traditional Futura; these are all a part of my toolbox, explains the artist. I wouldn t call it elaborate, I would just call it different. If you set the bottle in front of one of my works, there s a real dialogue there. And on its own, the bottle is an object that you can appreciate, that can also be a part of your life. HISTORY Quintessentially Hennessy, Hennessy Very Special is a reference in the art of blending for its unique style. Hennessy Very Special is the modern incarnation of Hennessy s Three Star and the world s most popular Cognac. The union of warm-hearted and full-bodied flavors, Hennessy Very Special endures through the ages and seduces connoisseurs searching for a very special moment. TASTING NOTES The Power of Blending On the nose, Hennessy Very Special brings together an intense and fruity character with pleasant oaky notes. In the mouth, powerful flavors evoke grilled almonds, supported by the fresh, lively notes of the grapes. Fundamentally Hennessy Demanding in its creation, yet immediately satisfying in its tasting, Hennessy Very Special marks its inimitable style across time. As a reflection of Hennessy s know-how, Very Special s audacious personality is the result of carefully selecting only the most expressive and distinctive eaux-de-vie. After several years of maturation in French oak casks, the eaux-de-vie are then blended with the mastery and consistency unique to the Maison Hennessy. A Unique Moment Share Hennessy Very Special to create a unique tasting moment. Savor it neat, on ice or with a mixer and reveal the liveliness of its character. HD-HENNESSY_FUTURA-FICHES 225x307.indd 6 26/06/12 11:10