Thursday 20th November – The legendary Connaught Christmas Tree 2025 has been unveiled outside The Connaught, and this year it has been designed by influential Swiss-born contemporary visual artist Urs Fischer. This marks the start of the festive season on Mount Street in the heart of Mayfair and the tenth year The Connaught Christmas Tree has been designed by a celebrated artist.
The magnificent Nordmann Fir tree, sourced from Denmark, stands 31 feet tall on Carlos Place and aims to highlight the spirit of Christmas as a luminous celebration of togetherness. Drawing inspiration from Fischer’s installation People – first seen in 2022 at Gagosian in New York – this tree imagines a global community gathered in joy. Spheres filled with AI-generated faces, each illuminated from within by LED light, evoke people from all ages, races, and places sharing in collective experiences. The tree underscores Fisher's belief that art should welcome everyone in. It’s a portrait of togetherness – simple, bright, and full of life.
Commenting on his creation, Fischer mentioned:
“My dream is always the same: that my work communicates enough by itself, without too much context, that people who don’t engage with art get something out of it. That’s a really gratifying experience, to have someone just see something and think, wow, that’s cool, and they’re not from within the art world. Christmas is a time to celebrate together, and this year’s design is a collective of characters doing exactly that, having a good time”.Urs Fischer
Commenting on The Connaught Christmas Tree 2025 Managing Director Sandeep Bhalla said:
“We are honoured and delighted that Urs Fischer has agreed to add his modern and magical touch to our precious Connaught Christmas Tree. We hope that this year’s theme of a luminous celebration of togetherness will be enjoyed by our guests, Mayfair neighbours and indeed all of London throughout the festive season.”Sandeep Bhalla
Past tree designers include Conrad Shawcross RA, Dame Rachel Whiteread, Suzy Murphy, Damien Hirst, Sir Antony Gormley, Dame Tracey Emin DBE, Sir Michael Craig-Martin CBE, Sean Scully, Idris Khan and Annie Morris. The Connaught has long established itself as playing a significant role in the art world, amassing a considerable art collection over its 170- year history.
The Connaught Christmas Tree 2025 by Urs Fischer will shine bright and illuminate Carlos Place until the first week of January 2026.
At the centre of London’s Mayfair, The Connaught, operated by Maybourne, redefines the British luxury experience. An expertly judged blend of tradition with the utmost modernity, it is the insider’s choice of connoisseurs in the art of living well. The Connaught includes a magnificent selection of traditional and contemporary guest rooms, suites and interiors, as well as the United Kingdom’s first ever Aman Spa, and a David Collins Studio designed penthouse. Michelin chef restaurants by Hélène Darroze, Jean Georges and the multi award winning Connaught Bar and Coburg bar along with the Red Room create a destination for dining and drinking in London. A delightful Japanese influenced garden by renowned landscape artist Tom Stuart-Smith, and a Ballroom for international and local Mayfair events makes The Connaught Hotel a true London landmark. www.the-connaught.co.uk.
Urs Fischer mines the potential of materials – from clay, steel, and paint to bread, dirt, and produce – creating works that disorient and bewilder. Through scale distortions, illusion, and the juxtaposition of common objects, his sculptures, paintings, photographs, and large-scale installations explore themes of perception and representation while maintaining a witty irreverence and mordant sense of humour.
Urs Fischer was born in 1973 in Zurich and studied photography at the Schule für Gestaltung, Zurich. He has exhibited extensively internationally, and his work is included in many important public and private collections worldwide. Fischer lives and works in Los Angeles.
Opening on 1st December 2025, and on view concurrently with the new work at The Connaught, Fischer is taking over Gagosian Burlington Arcade. Prints and small-scale bronzes by the artist are on view in the gallery, while the Shop offers clothing and merchandise.
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