Louis Vuitton unveiling 43 artists linkups at inaugural Paris+ par Art Basel art fair

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Oct 18, 2022

The house of Louis Vuitton will unveil two score plus of linkups with major contemporary and modern artists at the inaugural Paris+ par Art Basel art fair, which takes place in the French capital this week.
 

Vuitton’s booth inside the fair, to be held inside the Grand Palais Éphémère, will present a curated ensemble, featuring diverse works from contemporary artists and even unique original designs for trunks commissioned by Henri Matisse and Francis Picabia in 1909.
 
Highlights will include several standout artistic collaborations like a Van Gogh silk scarf by Jeff Koons; a branded skateboard by Stephen Sprouse, and a travel trunk reworked by Cindy Sherman.  Other original artworks sure to attract attention are a wax figure of Yayoi Kusama by the artist; a panda figure sculpture on a vintage Louis Vuitton trunk by Takashi Murakami; paintings by Richard Prince and Alex Katz; and a photo by Jean Larivière.

This brand-new art salon will take place from 19th to 23rd October inside Grand Palais Éphémère, a towering temporary structure designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Built in front of the Ecole Militaire to last three years and designed to stage major exhibitions, fashion shows and product launches while the actual Grand Palais undergoes a massive renovation for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
 

The Vuitton space will also showcase its Artycapucines Collection, where a series of notable international artists created radical reworkings of LV’s Capucines bag, with its modern classic design. Paris+ par Art Basel marks the first occasion that all the bags in the collection will be displayed in one place, including ideas by Alex Israel, Beatriz Milhazes, Vik Muniz, Henry Taylor, Donna Huanca, Zeng Fanzhi, Urs Fischer, Zhao and Tschabalala Self.
 
Practically a century ago, Gaston-Louis Vuitton, the grandson of the brand’s founder, began commissioning artists to collaborate with the Maison on advertisements, window displays and perfume bottles.  
 
“Since 1988, Louis Vuitton has continued this legacy by collaborating with some of the biggest names in modern art and design, including Sol LeWitt, James Rosenquist, Cesar, and Olafur Eliasson and curating exhibitions by artists such as Sophie Calle, Dan Flavin and Francesca Woodman in its in-store galleries,” noted the house in a release.
 
Underlining its commitment to fine arts and creativity, in 2014 the house opened the landmark Frank Gehry-designed Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, creating almost over-night a vital new destination in the city for art lovers and the creatively inclined.
 
Along with the likes of Audemars Piguet, David Yurman, BMW and Guerlain, Louis Vuitton is an associate partner of Paris+ par Art Basel.
 
Louis Vuitton will present during Paris+ by Art Basel, which runs 19th -23rd October 2022 at the Grand Palais Éphémère, 2 Place Joffre, 75007 Paris.