Louis Vuitton had a star-studded opening at the Louvre last night for their collaboration with artist Jeff Koons. Koons used his Gazing Ball series to emblazon luxury goods with Old Masters.
LV has used contemporary artists like Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusamatoto add art to fashion and this project was reportedly set in motion by Delphine Arnault, the daughter of LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault.
Several items feature Fragonard’s Girl Playing With Her Dog with the dogs' tail tickling her naughty bits. These look a bit like high-end totes you can get at a museum gift-shop, with big, clunky metal letters spelling out each artist’s name. DA VINCI.
Note that Koons' initials create the opposition to the LV logo and each bag comes with a dangling leather bunny, a nod to Koons most iconic work, Balloon Rabbit.
Koon's collaborated with H&M to create this bag to coincide with his 2014 Whitney retrospective. It sold for just $50.
In 2014, to coincide with his Whitney retrospective, he created a limited-edition handbag for H&M, which sold for just $50. I subscribe to the democratization of art and commerce, but Koons LV Masters are hardly that. Small clutches are $1500-3000 and the handbags go up to $4,000. The silk scarves are the best deal at $750. I’m kinda partial to the Mona Lisa shawl at $1500. Framed in a shadow box, it’s actually a cheap Koons –in more ways than one. Or you can get just the bunny keychain alone for the low, low price of just $525, starting today at Louis Vuitton boutiques worldwide.
