The Orange Balloon Dog by Don Thompson

Author:Don Thompson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MBI
Published: 2018-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

THE UNEASY MARRIAGE OF ART + FASHION

“A black hole of bad art and superficial temptation.”

—Nicolai Ouroussoff, New York Times writer, on the 2008 collaboration called Chanel Mobile Art73

“I don’t think Mr. Murakami would have the reputation he does today if it weren’t for the collaboration with Louis Vuitton.”

—Mitchell Oakley Smith, art and fashion writer74

IN 1999 FRENCH FASHION SUPERSTAR BERNARD ARNAULT PURCHASED A controlling share of Phillips auction house for $120 million, through his publicly traded luxury goods holding company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, known as LVMH. Stock analysts and the financial press were hugely critical of the acquisition because being identified as owner of an auction house, even one focusing on contemporary art, was considered detrimental to the aura around high fashion. The criticism was sufficiently intense that after a money-losing 2001, Arnault walked away from Phillips, essentially gifting the LVMH share of the auction house to partners Simon de Pury and Daniella Luxembourg, who owned the minority share.

In 2008, control of what was then called Phillips de Pury was sold to the two Leonids—Leonid Friedland and Leonid Strunin, who controlled the Russian luxury retail conglomerate Mercury (distributors of Armani, Chopard and Tiffany). The Leonids argued that Phillips was a logical extension of their existing luxury and fashion empire.

The perceived compatibility of art and fashion changed a great deal in the years after Arnault originally purchased his controlling share of Phillips. Consider the following examples of the marriage of art + fashion, and reach your own conclusion as to whether these represent a threat to the way contemporary art is perceived.

The first example is an expensive promotion that took place just for the media coverage it was expected to produce. In 2007, the Chanel fashion house commissioned London-based architect Dame Zaha Hadid to design a flying-saucer-shaped display structure, a 7,500-square-foot, 180-ton building to be called Chanel Mobile Art (see photo insert). The structure was designed to be disassembled and moved to a new city every few months. The interior was designed by Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel’s creative director. Mobile Art was filled with commissioned artwork inspired by the label’s quilted, chain-strapped black leather 2.55 handbag.

French contemporary artist Fabrice Hybert contributed a quilted-leather S&M room. Swiss-born contemporary artist and sculptor Sylvie Fleury produced Crystal Custom Commando, a purple 2.55 handbag containing a large Chanel makeup compact showing a video of women with guns shooting at Chanel purses. Chanel Mobile Art opened in Hong Kong in February 2008, moved to Tokyo in July and closed in New York’s Central Park that fall. It was withdrawn after only those three stops, and after expenditure of €12 million ($18 million). Chanel said the display had met its goal of emphasizing the artisanal nature of Chanel’s products and their relationship to contemporary art.

Chanel Mobile Art probably did little damage to the careers of the artists involved. Fleury and Hybert were not well known at the time; their names would likely not be remembered by those who toured the display. For the artists it was a source of income, a chance to monetize their momentary market fame.

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