SALON

Saturday, Jun 22, 2013 6:00 PM UTC

High art meets haute couture in Las Vegas

James Turrell is the latest in a series of contemporary artists to collaborate with fashion houses

By

Topics: Hyperallergic, Art, Fashion, louis vuitton, Las vegas, Consumerism, ,

High art meets haute couture in Las Vegas Louis Vuitton store on October 9, 2010 in Valencia, Spain. (Credit: Tupungato / Shutterstock.com)
This article originally appeared on Hyperallergic.

HyperallergicSAN FRANCISCO — On a hot desert afternoon nothing sounds better than the arctic blast of a shopping center. Yes, it is a “dry heat,” but at 110 degrees, the relevance of humidity levels dissipates. So what store should you go to? If it were me, I’d call Louis Vuitton at City Center and make an appointment to see the new James Turrell! Number one: yes, you read that right — there is a permanent installation by Turrell at Louis Vuitton City Center. Number two: yes, you read that right — you will have to make an appointment to see the work.

You may think it odd for an artist of Turrell’s stature to be featured in a luxury retail store, especially since he’s in such art-world vogue this year, with exhibitions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Guggenheim New York, and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; however, this isn’t the first time the 70-year-old artist has been involved with Vuitton. The house previously commissioned “Tall Glass,” a permanent light sculpture at its Champs-Elysées store, and a photo project featuring an LV trunk set in the landscape of Turrell’s ongoing work at Roden Crater, outside Flagstaff, Arizona. The Las Vegas piece, titled “Akhob,” is a Ganzfeld effect work that resides separately from the store’s merchandise, on the fourth floor of the massive luxury space, and requires visitors to fill out a waiver before entering in the event they sustain an injury from the piece, which at times can be discombobulating. The room floods the retina with high pigment fields of light that can make you feel like you’re in a different realm.

So why does the fashion house have such an interest in the contemporary artist?

A Louis Vuitton monogram Speedy bag with a Stephen Sprouse print

A Louis Vuitton monogram Speedy bag with a Stephen Sprouse print (image via luxurybagsplaza.com)

Art has an interesting and evolving relationship with the fashion world. Though some would argue that fashion is art — and we’re not saying it isn’t, in some form — there’s also the dynamic of contemporary art being used in collaboration with fashion brands to create limited-edition garments and accessories. This practice of commissioning an artist to create designs for application on handbags, gowns, and the like is fairly common and stretches from the very high end of haute couture to the more accessible end of the spectrum at prêt-à-porter. Louis Vuitton collaborations with the late Stephen Sprouse on graffiti and floral print Speedy bags, Marc Jacobs special items with Takashi Murakami, Yayoi Kusama’s LV collection and installation that preceded her high-profile Whitney Museum exhibition — these are nothing new.

The question, of course, arises as to if or how creating specifically branded items affects an artist’s work. It’s difficult to judge, but the relationship seems to be a marriage, a give and take — whereas the artist must translate his work into an easily digestible product form, there are also opportunities to innovate with design. That said, there’s no doubt these types of works are different —  even if just a little bit — than they would be if they were made solely at the artists’ discretion. I highly doubt that Stephen Sprouse would have sat around his studio scribbling the words “Louis Vuitton” in neon green without the brand paying him to do so.

These days, there is a new(ish) beast on the savannah of art and fashion relationships. It began with brands increasingly incorporating world-class art into their retail stores: Louis Vuitton locations dripping with art by the who’s who of the art world, with glitterati names such as Damien Hirst, Richard Prince, and Olafur Eliason. Now companies are constructing their own exhibition and/or museum spaces, too: initiatives like the Prada Foundation in Milan, which has been operating since the ’90s but is finally now getting a permanent, Rem Koolhaas–designed home; and the massive, under-construction contemporary art center — called the Louis Vuitton Foundation for Creation — funded by Louis Vuitton in Paris, complete with a Frank Gehry design. Fashion’s interest in the art museum business seems to be at an all-time high. Vuitton is by far the most active in its art world pursuits; in addition to the Paris museum space, which will cost an estimated $200 million, the company has Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo and Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton in Paris, both of which are contemporary art exhibition spaces, free to the public.

Yayoi Kusama–designed merchandise and store decor for Louis Vuitton (click to enlarge)

Yayoi Kusama–designed merchandise and store decor for Louis Vuitton at Selfridges in London (click to enlarge) (image via contemporist.com)

When you take a step back and look at the ways in which the landscape of contemporary art has evolved over the past century, there’s a clear increase in the viewing of art not only for its aesthetic or cultural value, but more and more as a commodity. There has always been a relationship between art and commerce, but these days it seems like that relationship has taken steroids and grown to monumental size. Art investment funds, corporate art acquisition programs, and the complexities of auction houses boosting sale prices by constructing provenances through often dubious means are all factors.

This art-as-asset business is directly related to the fashion world’s adoption of contemporary art as its own beloved child, although it’s an open question as to which came first. Is the relationship a good thing, a bad one, or or neither? On the upside, these endeavors place art in front of people who may not have ever been to a museum, let alone a contemporary art museum or gallery. On the downside, there’s a real danger of funneling art into a commodity-driven modality. Using art as décor for retail environments instrumentalizes and conventionalizes the work solely for monetary gain. It often reduces the art to nothing more than an extremely expensive sofa accompaniment. One has to ask, “why?” Why are fashion retailer so interested engaging with art?

Because collecting, commissioning, and displaying art boost the luxury appeal of fashion houses. What could be more elite than a unique and expensive work? Only making that expensive work exclusive to the retailer. The trend represents the ultimate transition of art from creative act to commodity. And it’s all part of a broader agenda that in fact presents the reverse of what’s really happening: the brand as a purveyor not just of commodity but culture. When you purchase an LV bag, you’re buy into a lifestyle of art and prestige.

Rendering of the Frank Gehry design for the Foundation Louis Vuitton museum in Paris

Rendering of the Frank Gehry design for the Foundation Louis Vuitton museum in Paris (image viaroc2c.blogspot.com)

Still, when fashion brands construct major museum-like spaces or position their commissions as standalone experiences, as with the Turrell in Las Vegas, the situation may be different. A review of the websites for these projects, most notably the Louis Vuitton initiative, suggests that the fashion houses are going into the museum business with earnestness and a desire to give back to the city. Perhaps this is just the new normal — art lives among us and is used in various ways. Art has bled out of the museum and into the streets; do we mop it up and put it back in its cage, or allow it to color the world, even at the risk of corruption?

James Turrell’s “Akhob” is on view by appointment at the Louis Vuitton City Center store (The Shops at Crystals, 3720 S. Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas).

More Hyperallergic

Erin Joyce

More Erin Joyce.

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

7 motorist-friendly camping sites

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Sponsored Post

  • White River National Forest via Lower Crystal Lake, Colorado
    For those OK with the mainstream, White River Forest welcomes more than 10 million visitors a year, making it the most-visited recreation forest in the nation. But don’t hate it for being beautiful; it’s got substance, too. The forest boasts 8 wilderness areas, 2,500 miles of trail, 1,900 miles of winding service system roads, and 12 ski resorts (should your snow shredders fit the trunk space). If ice isn’t your thing: take the tire-friendly Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway — 82 miles connecting the towns of Meeker and Yampa, half of which is unpaved for you road rebels.
    fs.usda.gov/whiteriveryou


    Image credit: Getty

  • Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest via Noontootla Creek, Georgia
    Boasting 10 wildernesses, 430 miles of trail and 1,367 miles of trout-filled stream, this Georgia forest is hailed as a camper’s paradise. Try driving the Ridge and Valley Scenic Byway, which saw Civil War battles fought. If the tall peaks make your engine tremble, opt for the relatively flat Oconee National Forest, which offers smaller hills and an easy trail to the ghost town of Scull Shoals. Scaredy-cats can opt for John’s Mountain Overlook, which leads to twin waterfalls for the sensitive sightseer in you.
    fs.usda.gov/conf


    Image credit: flickr/chattoconeenf

  • Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area via Green Road, Michigan
    The only national forest in Lower Michigan, the Huron-Mainstee spans nearly 1 million acres of public land. Outside the requisite lush habitat for fish and wildlife on display, the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area is among the biggest hooks for visitors: offering beach camping with shores pounded by big, cerulean surf. Splash in some rum and you just might think you were in the Caribbean.
    fs.usda.gov/hmnf


    Image credit: umich.edu

  • Canaan Mountain via Backcountry Canaan Loop Road, West Virginia
    A favorite hailed by outdoorsman and author Johnny Molloy as some of the best high-country car camping sites anywhere in the country, you don’t have to go far to get away. Travel 20 miles west of Dolly Sods (among the busiest in the East) to find the Canaan Backcountry (for more quiet and peace). Those willing to leave the car for a bit and foot it would be remiss to neglect day-hiking the White Rim Rocks, Table Rock Overlook, or the rim at Blackwater River Gorge.
    fs.usda.gov/mnf


    Image credit: Getty

  • Mt. Rogers NRA via Hurricane Creek Road, North Carolina
    Most know it as the highest country they’ll see from North Carolina to New Hampshire. What they may not know? Car campers can get the same grand experience for less hassle. Drop the 50-pound backpacks and take the highway to the high country by stopping anywhere on the twisting (hence the name) Hurricane Road for access to a 15-mile loop that boasts the best of the grassy balds. It’s the road less travelled, and the high one, at that.
    fs.usda.gov/gwj


    Image credit: wikipedia.org

  • Long Key State Park via the Overseas Highway, Florida
    Hiking can get old; sometimes you’d rather paddle. For a weekend getaway of the coastal variety and quieter version of the Florida Keys that’s no less luxe, stick your head in the sand (and ocean, if snorkeling’s your thing) at any of Long Key’s 60 sites. Canoes and kayaks are aplenty, as are the hot showers and electric power source amenities. Think of it as the getaway from the typical getaway.
    floridastateparks.org/longkey/default.cfm


    Image credit: floridastateparks.org

  • Grand Canyon National Park via Crazy Jug Point, Arizona
    You didn’t think we’d neglect one of the world’s most famous national parks, did you? Nor would we dare lead you astray with one of the busiest parts of the park. With the Colorado River still within view of this cliff-edge site, Crazy Jug is a carside camper’s refuge from the troops of tourists. Find easy access to the Bill Hall Trail less than a mile from camp, and descend to get a peek at the volcanic Mt. Trumbull. (Fear not: It’s about as active as your typical lazy Sunday in front of the tube, if not more peaceful.)
    fs.usda.gov/kaibab


    Image credit: flickr/Irish Typepad

  • As the go-to (weekend) getaway car for fiscally conscious field trips with friends, the 2013 MINI Convertible is your campground racer of choice, allowing you and up to three of your co-pilots to take in all the beauty of nature high and low. And with a fuel efficiency that won’t leave you in the latter, you won’t have to worry about being left stranded (or awkwardly asking to go halfsies on gas expenses).


    Image credit: miniusa.com

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Related Videos

Comments

 0 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

Salon is proud to feature content from Hyperallergic, a forum for serious, playful and radical thinking about art in the world today.

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

vote
James Clapper is still lying to America
110 points111 points | comment
vote
Let's Stop Screwing Around and Impeach James Clapper: After lying to Congress about all the different ways the NSA's spying on us, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lies about how he lied. Call the White House at 202 456-1111 and Tell Obama to Get Rid of Clapper
82 points83 points | 3 comments
vote
Machiavelli doesn’t belong to the 1 percent | "The Prince" is oft-quoted on Wall Street, but its author was a hero of the working class who despised elites
64 points65 points | 13 comments
vote
We must hate our children
61 points62 points | 11 comments
vote
Machiavelli doesn’t belong to the 1 percent | "The Prince" is oft-quoted on Wall Street, but its author was a hero of the working class who despised elites
53 points54 points | 16 comments

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "The Joker": Laughing at life's deepest sorrows