Louis Vuitton released bags with Mona Lisa
The collection was the first experience of cooperation of the brand with Jeff Koons
Jeff Koons with a bag from the line Masters Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton released a collection of accessories in collaboration with American artist Jeff Koons. The Masters line includes bags, handkerchiefs, shawls, wallets and key rings that show reproductions of the famous masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, Titian, Peter Paul Rubens and Jean-Honore Fragonard. Now on the site of the brand are presented bags and accessories with the image of "Mona Lisa" da Vinci, "Tiger hunting" by Rubens and "Wheatfield with cypresses" by Van Gogh. In addition to the special design, each bag is decorated with gold or silver letters with the name of the artist-author of the original picture, a pendant in the form of a rabbit (a rabbit is a symbol of Koons 'creativity), and a monogram with Koons' initials. Inside the bags there are biographies and a portrait of the master, whose work is depicted on the product.
Collaboration with Louis Vuitton - a continuation of the series of works by Koons - Gazing Ball Paintings, which the artist presented in 2015 in the gallery of Larry Gagosian in New York. Then Koons created several paintings reproducing the works of great artists - "Breakfast on the grass" by Edward Manet, "Water Lilies" by Claude Monet and "Kiss" by Gustav Klimt. For the project with Louis Vuitton, the artist created new works in the continuation of this series.
The cooperation with the Koons was agreed personally by Bernard Arnault, owner of the LVMH concern, which includes Louis Vuitton, the newspaper The New York Times writes. In 2013 the artist already had a joint project with Dom Perignon, another brand from the LVMH portfolio. After that, the name of Koons arose whenever possible joint projects of Louis Vuitton. "When Bernard Arnault offered to meet, I decided that he would offer me something related to the clock. But the question was about bags, and it seemed to me a wonderful idea - in a few minutes I agreed, "Koons told the publication.
Bags and scarves depicting recognizable paintings - a risky move: for sure there are those who say that they look like a souvenir shop at the museum, the newspaper assumes. To this Koons responds that he is not accustomed to provocations, and the goal of contemporary art is to get away from elitism. "Probably, someone might think that bags look too commercial, that a serious artist will not do this. But I'm also sure that there will be people who will hunt for these bags. I'm sure the project will be very commercially successful ", - quotes Koons NY Times. The gallery owner and art dealer Larry Gagosian believes that in the career of another artist such cooperation might look strange, but for Koons it is quite organic: "Perhaps, Mark Rothko would not have created anything like this, but Andy Warhol could. And Jeff is largely inspired by his work. " Louis Vuitton CEO, Michael Burke also sees nothing wrong with the complex reaction that the collection can cause. "People are upset when they mix the sacred and everyday. But we like to do things that can be perceived as politically incorrect: if they produce the effect of a bomb, we believe that we are doing everything right, "Burke said.
Models from the collection of Masters. Bag Chain bag with the image of "Mona Lisa" Louis Vuitton Models from the collection of Masters. Bag Chain bag with the image of "Mona Lisa" The difference in the cost of bags and accessories of the Masters line and similar classic brand products varies depending on the model. For example, a bag of the Neverfull MM model with a reproduction costs $3,500, and the classic one costs from $1378 to $2327. The purse Zippy in the variation of the Masters is estimated at $1736, and the prices for other variants of Zippy are from $796 to $2614. Some of the Masters products are on the Louis Vuitton website. The collection will appear at the brand stores around the world in late April.
