The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, has commissioned a series of travel posters created by artist partner Louis-Nicolas Darbon to celebrate the brand’s ongoing partnership with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. The Ritz-Carlton has a legacy of giving back through its Community Footprints program, and through this fund will donate all proceeds from the sale of the posters to Sutton Trust. Community Footprints is The Ritz-Carlton’s social and environmental responsibility program guided by the principles to engage, to contribute and to inspire, with the goal of making a difference in child well-being and hunger and poverty relief.
“The Ritz-Carlton has a long history of giving back,” commented Jenni Benzaquen, Senior Vice President and Global Brand Leader, The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis.
“As we continue to expand our relationship with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, we are proud to support their partner, Sutton Trust, and its commitment to championing social mobility.”
Louis-Nicolas Darbon, artist partner for The Ritz-Carlton brand, has created seven canvas travel posters, in addition to one portrait of Driver Sir Lewis Hamilton and one portrait of Driver George Russell as part of the series. The travel posters have been inspired by iconic cities from the 2022 season, including Miami, Montreal, Mexico City, Melbourne, Budapest, Singapore and Abu Dhabi. Each poster is available as an original canvas, sized at 90 cm x 120 cm and signed by Toto Wolff, Sir Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, and as a limited edition print sized at 76 cm x 101 cm. 10 prints will be available for each of the travel posters. The original canvas paintings are priced at $13,000 each, while the limited edition prints are $3,000 each. The original portraits of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team drivers, Sir Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are each signed by the respective driver. The signed portraits are priced at $25,000.
Best known for his portraits of iconic figures, Louis-Nicolas Darbon is a London-based artist whose work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, with solo shows in London, Mexico City, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Bangkok and more.
“We are delighted to have been able to introduce our partners at The Ritz-Carlton to one of our Accelerate 25 partners, the Sutton Trust,” commented Paul Mills, Chief People Officer, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team.
“The Sutton Trust achieves fantastic work and results with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and being able to contribute to their ongoing success through the proceeds of the Travel Poster series is a great example of how our partnerships can work together to help us achieve our aim of a more diverse and inclusive team and sport.”
Launched in December 2020, Accelerate 25 is the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team’s five-year program of action to make the team even more diverse and inclusive. It was created out of the belief that an inclusive culture drives innovation and creativity, resulting in improved performance both on and off the track. Through Accelerate 25, the Team has partnered with Sutton Trust, an educational charity based in the United Kingdom that aims to improve social mobility and address educational disadvantages for young people from non-privileged backgrounds through university and career access programmes, policy advocacy and research.
The Ritz-Carlton will launch the poster series with a private, experiential event on October 27 at The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City. The immersive celebration, designed to enliven the senses, will include music, cocktails, art and entertainment, toasting the unveiling of the travel poster series, which were inspired by the vibrant colours, culture and backdrop of Grand Prix destinations worldwide.
