The Last Port-of-Call for the “Louis Vuitton: 200 Trunks, 200 Visionaries” Exhibition

TO CELEBRATE THE vibrant history of the Louis Vuitton (Paris) label and the genius of its namesake founder, the purveyor of high-end leather goods, monogram handbags and world-renowned steamer trunks, presented an immersive discovery of art and imagination at its “200 Trunks, 200 Visionaries” exhibition which ran through Dec. 31, 2022. New York completed the travel itinerary of the acclaimed exhibition, wowing and inspiring visitors from Asnières, France (at the historic Louis Vuitton family house) to Singapore, Los Angeles, and then its final destination, the former Barneys New York location on Madison Avenue in New York City.

📷 Eric Feigenbaum

The exhibition was a collaborative showcase featuring the work from a roster of creatives such as Franky Zapata, Willo Perron, Francesca Sorrenti, Peter Marino and Jean Lavaliere, and the 200 customized trunks that commemorate the Louis Vuitton story. Each trunk was reimagined and personalized through unique mixed media applications from paint on canvas and video to sculpture, collage and light. The wide array of interpretations references the many cultural touchpoints of the Louis Vuitton experience such as art, design, fashion, architecture and, of course, travel.

Cleverly curated, the journey began with a powerful welcoming statement as visitors were drawn through a blackened hallway punctuated by a series of repeating illuminated squares that drew the eye and the viewer toward a dramatic graphic that simply read: LOUIS.

Visitors then entered a dimly lit room featuring a rapid succession of scrolling inspirational words and thoughts. Messages such as “imagination, explore, vessel, reflection, desire, and the magic of creation” flashed quickly across a blackened screen.

Spanning three floors, an escalator led visitors to level two of the exhibition where a room with pinkish-orange walls and a black-and-white carpeted checkerboard floor highlight the work of Franky Zapata and his “flying trunk.” (An inventor, Zapata decided to make his trunk fly through the air rather than decorate it, and the resultant display was captivating.)

ABOVE: Louis Vuitton’s recent exhibition featured 200 trunks that were designed and decorated by artists, fashion designers, influencers and musicians, among others.

One of the most popular rooms offered multi-angled opportunities for Instagrammable moments and featured the work of Robert Moy and his Brooklyn Balloon Co. The room, emblazoned with balloons in a rainbow of color, framed Moy’s vessel-shaped sculpture constructed from 122 inflated latex balloons. The artist then dripped 14 coats of epoxy on the creation and sanded and polished until a high gloss surface was achieved. The final step was to brush paint the sculpture.

An escalator to the third floor welcomed guests into a hot pink room, a nod to counterculture style and Marc Jacobs’ tribute to both Louis Vuitton and Stephen Spouse.

The call to artists was a global outreach across multi-disciplinary fields of influencers, both established and emerging. From painters and sculptors to poets, scientists, activists, musicians and architects, all were challenged to reimagine a simple block of poplar wood in the approximate dimensions of the original Louis Vuitton travel case. The final design solutions provided an artistic journey in discovery for creators and viewers alike, all in tribute to the remarkable career and cultural influence of Monsieur Vuitton.

To read Eric’s full review and view more images, please visit vmsd.com

PHOTO GALLERY (20 IMAGES)
📷 Eric Feigenbaum, New York