This December, Cape Town becomes the newest stage for Emotions of the Sun, Veuve Clicquot’s photographic exhibition, in collaboration with the Magnum Photos agency.
© Alex Webb - Magnum Photos
Opening at Youngblood Gallery on Bree Street from 4-21 December 2025, the exhibition unites 40 works by eight celebrated Magnum photographers, who have come together in a dialogue with light.
For over 250 years, Veuve Clicquot has shared its solaire culture with the world.
“The Sun is our ultimate muse,” says Thomas Mulliez, President of Veuve Clicquot. “It’s a source of warmth and creativity, deeply intertwined with our philosophy. Cape Town, with its radiant light and vibrant creative community, embodies this spirit perfectly. It feels only natural for Emotions of the Sun to find a home here, a city that lives and breathes the optimism and artistry we celebrate.”
Following showcases in Milan and New York, the exhibition arrives in South Africa for the first time, a fitting destination for a project born from the sun’s power. Few places mirror Veuve Clicquot’s solaire spirit as vividly as Cape Town – a city framed by ocean and mountain, rich in creative energy and global recognition as one of the world’s great cultural capitals.
Set within Bree Street, a hub of local creativity, Emotions of the Sun finds a home among some of the city’s most exciting voices in art, design and fashion.
At its heart, photography is a dialogue with light. For Emotions of the Sun, each Magnum photographer received a creative carte blanche to explore the sun’s myriad expressions. The result is a series of images that capture the sun’s many facets: as a force of life, a spark for play, a source of connection across cultures and a radiant expression of Veuve Clicquot’s joie de vivre.
Together, the photographs form a mosaic of perspectives spanning five continents, acting as a bridge between cultures. The celebrated photographers include Steve McCurry, Cristina de Middel, Trent Parke, Alex Webb, Nanna Heitmann, Olivia Arthur, Newsha Tavakolian and South Africa’s own Lindokuhle Sobekwa.
“Being part of this collective of Magnum photographers has been humbling and transformative,” shares local photographer Lindokuhle Sobekwa. “To have my work exhibited alongside such diverse global perspectives has given me visibility on a new stage. More importantly, it’s reminded me how emotion and light connect us all, wherever we are in world.”
Beyond the photographic body of work, Emotions of the Sun invites visitors into a fully immersive solaire experience. At the Sun on Your Plate Café, local culinary talent Seth Shezi presents a menu inspired by the sun, perfectly paired with Veuve Clicquot’s sunny cuvées. The journey continues at the gifting boutique, where personalisation allows guests to create bespoke Veuve Clicquot collectables, from the Clicquot Arrow and Ice Jacket to limited-edition summer accessories.
Location: Youngblood Gallery, 70 Bree Street, Cape Town
Opening times: Monday to Sunday, 9am – 5pm
Tickets to the Emotions of the Sun exhibition are available via Howler.
