At this year's Art Basel Miami, Louis Vuitton presents a selection of works from a long-standing collaboration with legendary architect Frank Gehry. The gallery has been specially designed to reflect his signature aesthetic and his constant experimentation with expression. Wooden and cardboard models throughout the exhibition set have always been a central element of the architect's design philosophy, and the five sail-shaped mesh structures pay homage to the windows he designed for Louis Vuitton in 2014. The exhibition is divided into four concepts that are dear to Frank Gehry: Architecture and Form, Material Exploration, Animals, and the Twisted Box created for the "Celebrating Monogram" special project. Among the works on display are: handbags, trunks, perfume bottles, original artwork, sketches and architectural models.
Louis Vuitton. The world premiere of the Louis Vuitton x Frank Gehry limited edition collection is based on three themes of Frank Gehry's career – architecture and form, material exploration and animals, including a bag based on the brand's iconic Capucines and Twisted Box trunks, and Bear With based on Gehry's sculpture Bear With (2014). USB pouch. Each bag combines the genius of Frank Gehry with Louis Vuitton's savoir-faire, such as the Capucines Blossom mini bag, whose glassy resin petals are inspired by a perfume bottle, while the LV logo is reminiscent of the giant logo designed for Louis Vuitton in ParisThe Capucines Floating Fish medium bag is inlaid with leather inspired by the fish lamps that will be displayed at Louis VuittonCapucines Concrete Pockets is an innovative 3D silkscreen printing process that recreates the concrete texture of Frank Gehry's architectural works on calfskin.
Louis Vuitton. Another highlight of the Louis Vuitton showroom is the "A Tea Party for Louis" trunk, an extraordinary piece that Frank Gehry was invited to design for the special project "200 Suitcases, 200 Dreamers" for the 200th anniversary of Louis Vuitton's birth. Drawing inspiration from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland in 1865, he created eight ingenious figurines for the sculptural trunk. These figurines resemble both characters from a book and architectural models imagined by Frank Gehry. They sat together as if they were at a tea party dedicated to Louis Vuitton's founder.
The exhibition also features other projects and artworks by Frank Gehry in collaboration with Louis Vuitton, including: the "Les Extraits" collection of perfume bottles and their chic caps handcrafted in Murano, Italy, the Flaconnier les Extraits perfume box designed for the collection of perfumes, and a series of sketches and models, such as the "Celebrating Monogram" Sketches of the composition of the project and a model for Louis Vuitton in Paris. The works are accompanied by a detailed collection of the collaboration**, as well as a portrait by the French artist Jean-Philippe Delhomme.
Louis Vuitton. Following its participation in Art Basel, Paris and Art Basel Miami in 2022, Louis Vuitton is proud to be a global partner of the prestigious fair this year, further establishing the close relationship between the brand and the arts. Louis Vuitton's artistic collaboration began nearly a century ago, when Mr. Louis Vuitton's grandchild, Carlton-Louis Vuitton, commissioned artists to collaborate on the brand's campaigns and perfume bottles.
Since 1988, Louis Vuitton has maintained a tradition of collaborations with the leading masters of fashion art and design, including Sol Lewitt, James Rosenquist, Cesar and Olafur Eliasson, as well as Sophie Calle, Dan Fl**in, Alberto Giacometti and Gerhard at Louis Vuitton's espace Exhibitions by artists such as Richter have also launched several large-scale global innovative art projects, such as the Yayoi Kusama collaboration collection in 2022, as well as capsule collections of handbags, shoes, accessories, trolley cases and fragrances. The Louis Vuitton** Conference, which opened its doors in Paris in October 2014, reflects the corporate philanthropic commitment of LVMH, and in particular the Louis Vuitton brand, in support of artistic and creative causes. Commissioned by Frank Gehry, this legendary building is now recognized as an outstanding example of 21st-century architecture and has attracted millions of visitors from all over the world to date.
Louis Vuitton. Art Basel Miami will be held December 8-10, 2023 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Road, Miami Beach, FL 33139, USA. At that time, Louis Vuitton will make a grand appearance in the West Hall.