This month, a famed stretch of New York’s Fifth Avenue is awash in a riot of color for the third annual Fifth Avenue Blooms. The program brings floral-themed art installations paired with real flowers along the sidewalks of the famed thoroughfare for the month of May. (April showers bring May flowers, after all.) The French artist Alexandre Benjamin Navet designed the installation, which is sponsored by the luxury jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels. Navet helmed the debut  2022 outing of the Fifth Avenue Blooms program as well. The show runs until May 31.

“I am very excited to see my designs at this scale and the unfolding gardens displayed in such a vibrant and inspiring place,” Navet said in a statement. “This season’s dialogue with the Maison is inspired by a walk in a beautiful garden when Spring is blooming. Violets, peonies, clematis, delphinium but also architectural garden details such as fences, carved stone planters from the 19th century and beautiful alleys.”

“His aesthetic and positive outlook is a perfect match for the Maison,” said Helen King, President & CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels Americas. The half-mile between 50th and 59th streets, where Blooms has taken root, is a magnet for tourists, and not for no reason, since it is home to a variety of historic sites such as the Plaza Hotel, the St. Regis Hotel, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, and yes, the Van Cleef flagship, which is similarly adorned in Navette’s flora.

One of the many floral moments on the 5th Avenue stroll. Courtesy Van Cleef & Arpels.

So it will be not only New Yorkers but an international audience that is invited to find a restful moment with his light-hearted installation, which Navet dubs an “unfolding garden,” with giant flowerpots and blooms that resemble colorful sketches that have sprung to life. A new component this year is an immersive sound experience at some spots along the way and moving elements at others. 

The Paris-based artist’s work occupies the intersection of art, illustration, design and architecture, emphasizing fresh and vibrant color. He has had solo shows at Paris’s Galerie Derouillon and public projects in Nantes and Toulon, among other high-profile projects, and has garnered international press from the likes of Harpers Bazaar, Elle Decor, and The New York Times.

During the first three weekends of May, there will also be public programming to accompany the installations, with activities for families and other visitors including contemporary dance performances, children’s book readings, live painting sessions, poetry readings, and educational conversations, taking place at 550 Madison Avenue and throughout the city. 

An artistic bench blooms on 5th Avenue. Courtesy Van Cleef & Arpels.