There are symbols that are not born of artifice, but of intuition. Of an emotion that becomes form, of a line drawn almost by chance that ends up defining an era. Forty years ago, TOUS brought one of those gestures to life with a vocation for permanence: the Bear. A small amulet that, since its birth in 1985, has gone from being a piece of jewellery to becoming an icon of collective memory. Last night, the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA) was the setting for a celebration that went beyond the conventions of a traditional anniversary to become an immersive experience.
The creative direction of the evening was in the hands of Marta Pazos, a Galician artist and playwright whose work spans opera, visual theatre and contemporary installation. Under her gaze, MACBA was transformed into a living piece: a sensory journey of light, colour and movement that rewrote the story of El Oso through four performative acts. Pazos’ voice, in voice-over, guided guests through a story about matter and affection. Then, a welcome cocktail—bathed in the brand’s signature fuchsia—gave way to a golden dinner presided over by a large gold nugget symbolising the origin of El Oso.
The dinner, conceived as the second act of the performance, was prepared by chef Meilan Kao, heir to the historic Shanghai restaurant and member of a family that revolutionised Asian cuisine in Barcelona, who designed a menu inspired by the art of dim sum. Each dish was an ephemeral jewel: small edible sculptures, hand-moulded with the precision of a goldsmith. Steam, translucent porcelain, edible gold, soft textures. Eating was also observing. A dialogue between East and West, between tradition and experimentation, between food and jewellery as two different ways of working with the invisible.
The third act bore the name of Amaia, TOUS ambassador since September and the central voice of the commemorative campaign Celebrate Joy. Everyone’s Invited. The artist appeared on stage to perform several songs, including C’est la vie, the anniversary’s theme song, with a luminous calm that stopped time. Her voice filled the auditorium with the power of simplicity. There was no artifice: just her, her voice and a piano in front of hundreds of people who understood that emotion can also be sophisticated. In that moment, the Bear ceased to be an object and became art and memory, music and matter.
After the performance, the museum was transformed into a luminous celebration. The performance dissolved into a party bathed in golden reflections and fuchsia lights, with more than 300 guests toasting an icon that, forty years later, remains contemporary. Among them were the figures starring in the campaign: Amaia, actresses Ángela Molina, Cecilia Suárez, and Macarena Achaga, actor Agustín Della Corte), brand ambassadors Clara Galle, Esmeralda Pimentel and Kelly Bailey, as well as international figures from the world of fashion, art and culture, such as Dani Schulz, Mireia Oriol, Ingrid García-Jonsson and Rossy de Palma, who wanted to accompany El Oso on this special date.
The TOUS Bear remains a symbol that defies time. It was born as a friendly, almost childlike figure, created by Rosa Oriol in 1985 as a nod to nostalgia, and ended up becoming an emblem of emotional luxury. Its rounded shape, deliberate simplicity and lack of pretension were its silent revolution. In the era of diamonds and crowns, TOUS opted for an icon of radical tenderness. And in doing so, it changed the way we look at jewellery. Since then, the Bear has been reinterpreted and has appeared in films and global campaigns. It has transcended the market to enter popular culture, without losing its essence: reminding us that emotion also has a shape.
To find out more about TOUS, visit tous.com.
TOUS celebrates its 40th anniversary with Amaia, Ángela Molina, Agustín Della Corte and more.
Sigue toda la información de HIGHXTAR desde Facebook, Twitter o Instagram