Kravitz and Steinway have designed a limited edition of 10 Model B pianos
Singer-songwriter Lenny Kravitz has teamed up with Steinway to create the limited edition Kravitz Grand.
The Kravitz Grand is inspired by the African themes utilized in paintings, sculpture, and fabric design from the Paris art scene of the 1920s.
The piano is comprised of 15 layers of hard rock maple and rare Macassar ebony personally selected by Lenny Kravitz for the exterior. The Model B features hand-carved motifs on the piano rim, the inner lid, and music desk requiring over 200 hours of carving by Steinway artisans, and hand-carved, block-style piano legs in black ebony finish.
Other design elements include a “crackle” metallic finish on the cast iron plate, and solid bronze castings for the top stick and pedal lyre, the latter weighing more than 40 pounds, envisioned by Kravitz Design and cast by Modern Art Foundry. There are also custom metal finishes for the pedals, brass music trays, hinges, and a numbered brass “Edition” plaque.
The piano keys are in ebony and matte cream, and the handcrafted piano bench features Macassar ebony from the same flitch of wood found on the piano and a faux cheetah print fabric. The finishing touch is the Steinway and Spirio logos inlaid in faux tortoise by Pearl Works.
Only 10 Kravitz Grands will be available. Each one retails for $500,000.
“The first instrument I ever played was a Steinway,” said Lenny Kravitz. “I have been a fan of their pianos over the span of my 30-year career, and I feel fortunate to get the opportunity to design my dream piano. I put my heart and soul into every design element and I’m thankful to work with a partner who let me have creative control to create something that was so personal to me and really pushed the envelope on what one can do with a classic piano.”
Main image: © Steinway & Sons