Louis Vuitton inaugurated the famed Artycapucines collection in June 2019, inviting six contemporary artists – Sam Falls, Urs Fischer, Nicholas Hlobo, Alex Israel, Tschabalala Self and Jonas Wood – to revisit its iconic Capucines bag. The bag is named after rue des Capucines in Paris, where Louis Vuitton opened his first store in 1854.
In 2020, the French luxury house launched the second edition of the Artycapucines collection, inviting six new artists continue the creative journey this year, reimagining the iconic accessory with their own singular aesthetic vision. The second wave includes artwork by Beatriz Milhhazes, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Josh Smith, Henry Taylor and Liu Wei and Zhao Zhao.
LVMH states: Each of the artists in this second wave appropriated the trapezoid shaped bag, rethinking the design with their personal style to create one-of-a-kind models. Brazilian artist Beatriz Milhares superposed a kaleidoscope of textures and colors in lambskin onto the bag’s sleek form.
The creation by French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel – known for his Kiosque des Noctambules at the entrance to the Palais Royal metro station in Paris – completely reworked bag in a raffia weave topped with a boa like silk trim, completed by a twisted handle adorned with black pearls.
Josh Smith proposes an equally personal version. The New York artist drew inspiration from a his original series of paintings titled Name, faithfully reproducing canvases spelling out his name in bright colors.
American Henry Taylor also transposed an original painting using cutting-edge laser printing and traditional marquetry techniques. Taylor reproduced the expressive face of the founder of the Underground Museum in Los Angeles from his 2017 portrait, creating a remarkable sculptural bas-relief on the Capucines bag canvas.
The Louis Vuitton Capucines by Beijing-based Liu Wei is futuristic and sculptural, with aluminum plates and rings covered in metal spheres to hold the handle in place.
Lastly, Zhao Zhao created a graphic pattern that covers the entire surface of the bag like a sophisticated puzzle.
The 200 limited edition pieces have been distributed globally and will go into stores on October 30, 2020.
Images: supplied by LVMH and Louis Vuitton
by Amanda Johnstone
Haute Today 