Six Artists Join The Latest Chapter Of Louis Vuitton's Artycapucines Project
It's that time of the year when Louis Vuitton turns its iconic Capucines bag into a piece of experimental art object through its Artycapucines project.
The fashion and art world have always forged a close, intersecting relationship. It's no different at Louis Vuitton which has been roping in contemporary artists to reimagine the house's craft-laden Capucines top handle bag. Now entering it's fourth year, the aptly-named Artycapucines collection welcomes six artists to unleash their creativity on the bag which was introduced in 2013 and named after Louis Vuitton's first store on the Rue Neuve-des-Capucines.
READ MORE: 6 Artists Around The World Turned Louis Vuitton’s Capucines Bag Into Works Of Art
In the line-up are French painters Amelie Bertrand and Daniel Buren; architect Peter Marino; pioneering South Korean painter Park Seo-Bo; Swiss sculptor Ugo Rondinone, and Brooklyn-based painter Kennedy Yanko. Each had turned the blank canvas that is the Capucines bag into artful masterpieces with the help of the brand's artisans in Italy and France.
The artists behind this year's edition of Artycapucines are (clockwise from top left) Ugo Rondinone, Kennedy Yanko, Amelie Bertrand, Park Seo-Bo, Peter Marino and Daniel Buren.
Nine bags were created for this year's outing, with Buren's design coming in four colour variations (a first for the Artycapucines range). Only 200 pieces of each design are produced – with 50 pieces for each of Burren's colour variations – and priced at $14,800 each. Ahead, we examine what makes them works of art.
This sculptor and installation artist may be the youngest name in the Artycapucines line up, but she is by no means the least accomplished. The 34-year-old Missouri native works primarily with discarded metal (often sourced from junkyards) and is best known for her "paint skin" technique which is produced by letting a large amount of paint dry out to form a sheet-like material.
Both these trademarks are manifested in her Capucines design. The leather body is first 3D printed with rust and weathering effects – a process that experimented with 20 different colour samples – before flakes of gold pigment are added by artisans to emphasise the paint skin's ripples and folds. Yanko's desire to make her Capucines just as functional is translated into the detachable leather handle and exterior pocket that transforms the bag into a clutch.
Swiss-born multidisciplinary artist Ugo Rodinone is most recognised for his use of neon colours, especially in his popular Seven Magic Mountains rock formations out in the Nevada desert which became a hit on Instagram. His creation for Louis Vuitton is a nod to an equally happy work of his: the Vocabulary of Solitude installation which features 45 clown sculptures. The splashy harlequin pattern all over the Capucines' leather body was made with close to 15,000 hand-embroidered beads to create a tufted-like effect.
The humour-tinged motifs also come in the form of the clown-shaped zip and flower on the flap. Rodinone's well-documented use of rainbows in his paintings and sculptures translates to the translucent, resin bag handle that was made to create a colourful projection onto the bag's flap under bright lights.
Visual artist and painter Amelie Bertrand's design marks the range's first-ever glow-in-the-dark Capucines, influenced by the electric summer nightlife. The entirety of the bag – from the resin handle, base studs to the stitching on the shoulder strap – is hand-sprayed, with a pair of flowers and leather-embossed metal chain (motifs the artist created for her Don't Call Me lithograph print series) attached to the leather body.
The French conceptual artist, sculptor and painter, who is famed for his installations that combine his signature alternating stripe pattern, colours and geometric shapes, is no stranger to Louis Vuitton. In 2016, the artist engulfed the Fondation Louis Vuitton building with 3,600 tinted, striped and clear glass tiles, as part of an installation titled Observatory of Light.
His take on the Artycapucines sees Buren creating resin handles on both sides of the bag to form a perfect circle with his usual black-and-white stripes. The artist also used contrasting colours for each side of the bag's body, made from Louis Vuitton's matte Taurillon leather. The four Capucines designs Buren created feature colour combinations inspired by his Observatory Of Light art installation. And unlike the original single flap which the bag comes with, Buren's versions feature double semi-circular flaps.
Recognised as the father of modern art in South Korea, Park's creation draws on his 2016 work Ecriture, which featured traditional Korean hanji paper on canvas painting. With the help of his grandson Park Jifan, the Capucines bag is treated with a brush-like effect, then injected with 3D rubber graphics that are applied onto the leather – in order to recreate the tactile texture of Ecriture. Warmth comes in the form of the polished walnut bag handle and burgundy leather flap, with the interior of the bag lined in linen canvas that's similar to the back of his paintings.
American architect Peter Marino is no stranger to the fashion scene, having designed boutiques for Louis Vuitton and Dior. He's finally taking his 20 year partnership with the House beyond just interiors. Much like his subversive sense of style that can be described as biker-meets-rocker, Marino's all-black Capucines is inspirited by the design of an antique studded trunk. The body of the bag is formed with hand-cut strips of calfskin, which is then peppered throughout with 315 studs. Exclusive to his creation is a type of slide bolt closure that can be found on the vintage trunk Marino owns.