takashi murakami

Ukranian Billionaire Flys in Ducasse, Cirque du Soleil for $6 Million Birthday Bash

Ukrainian billionaire Viktor Pinchuk (above) is spending more than $6 million on an opulent 50th birthday bash for himself in the posh French ski resort of Courchevel tonight, flying in the Cirque de Soleil and superchef Alain Ducasse for the occasion. The steel magnate and contemporary art collector, whose has an estimated fortune of over $3 billion, is sparing no expense for the 300 guests invited to the event, the London Telegraph reports. It has taken 50 workmen two weeks "under difficult climactic conditions" to set up an enormous marquee to showcase the Cirque du Soleil, the world-renowned Canadian circus troupe, the paper notes.

Ducasse's haute cuisine will be accompanied by oceans of the finest champagne, vodka and top grand cru vintage wines. The evening will end with a spectacular fireworks display before guests retire to the resort's 11 five-star hotels, all booked out for the occasion. Pinchuk, who owns one of London's most expensive houses, has his own private museum in Kiev housing major works by Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons and Louis Vuitton collaborator Takashi Murakami. He has a number of philanthropic projects and arts sponsorships in the works with the likes of Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Steven Spielberg, George Soros and Bill Clinton, all of whom could turn up at the birthday blowout.

Tags: Alain Ducasse, billionaire, Cirque de Soleil, contemporary art, Courchevel, Damien Hirst, events, france, Jeff Koons, museum, oligarch, parties, Paul McCartney, Russian billionaires, Takashi Murakami, Ukraine, wealth

The Battle Over Murakami's Versailles Exhibit

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Versailles has gotten a little whimsical kick lately in the form of an exhibit from Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami. But according to the Wall Street Journal, not everyone is a fan. Prince Sixte-Henri de Bourbon-Parmet, a descendant of Louis XIV wants to stop the exhibit long before it is set to end in December. The prince says that the colorful exhibit dishonors his family and French culture in general.

The exhibit at the Château de Versailles is set to run September 14 through December 12 and features installations in the gilded Hall of Mirrors as well as other palace rooms. The exhibit includes a total of 22 works by Murakami. Of the 22 works on display in 15 rooms, 11 were created specifically for this event. Before the exhibit opened in September a group called the Coordination Défense de Versailles launched a petition against the installation. It has now gathered over 7,000 signatures. The Murakami Versailles Facebook page is full of people giving their opinions. Some find the exhibit fabulous, others see it as an outrage.

ArtInfo rounded up a bunch of responses from critics around the world and found a similar polarity of thought. Le Figaro blogger Sébastien Le Fol commented that the show was cute and appealing but found that the pieces didn't really engage with the surroundings in Versailles. Many of the critics mentioned that they were sure that the exhibit, with its bright colors and manga inspiration, would be popular but that it as Le Monde art critic Harry Bellet said, "it makes you think that contemporary art collectors are big kids."

Gallery: Takashi Murakami's Versailles Exhibit

Tags: Takashi Murakami, versailles

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Inside Luxury King Francois Pinault's Private Palazzo Museums

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Wealth, Architecture & Design

Francois Pinault is a man justifiably envied by many. With a fortune of $8.7 billion the high-school dropout-turned luxury goods titan is the majority shareholder of PPR, whose brands include Gucci, Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta. He also owns famed auction house Christie's and the renowned Chateau Latour winery. His amazing contemporary art collection, worth an estimated $1.4 billion, encompasses 2,000-plus works by over 80 artists including Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, Takashi Murakami and Damien Hirst. Much of it is now housed as his two incredible private museums in Venice, the Palazzo Grassi and the Punta della Dogana. Both historic buildings were transformed by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando and are the subject of a smashing new book from Skira Rizzoli.

Tadao Ando: Venice - The Pinault Collection at the Palazzo Grassi and the Punta della Dogana shows how Ando's designs seamlessly blend history and innovation while adhering to the strict laws governing the preservation of historic buildings in Venice. At the Palazzo Grassi, prominently located on the Grand Canal, Ando's quiet but expert renovation of the eighteenth-century rooms makes a perfect backdrop for Jeff Koons' eye-popping balloon sculptures. At the Punta della Dogana (shown on the cover above), the Venetian Republic's original customs warehouse, the large-scale space was subtly subdivided into refined rooms for installation art. The "dialogue – that is collision and friction – between the new and the old," Ando states, "is the driving force in creating a city's future."

Tags: architect, architecture, art, art collection, Balenciaga, billionaire, Bottega Veneta, Chateau Latour, contemporary art, Damien Hirst, France, Francois Pinault, Gucci, Italy, Jeff Koons, luxury goods, museum, PPR, Richard Prince, Tadao Ando, Takashi Murakami, Venice, Yves Saint Laurent

Tough Year for Takashi Murakami as Auction Revenue Plunges

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Contemporary art values got spanked following the financial crisis, and even though there were signs of hope in October and November 2009, it's been a long road to recovery. Some artists, in particular, were beaten particularly severely by the collapse of the contemporary art market.

Takashi Murakami, a fervent self-marketer as well as artist, sustained a decline in total auction revenue from $8 million for the July 2008 – June 2009 period to $3.4 million for the 12 months running from July 2009 – June 2010. ArtPrice reports that only 223 of his pieces were brought to auction during the year ending in June 2010, and only nine brought in more than €100,000. None hit the seven-figure mark.

Though the cash isn't rolling in, ArtPrice notes that Murakami "is back in the limelight thanks to his theatrical exhibition in the Château de Versailles which runs until 12 December 2010."

[photo by achimh via Flickr]

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Tags: art market, artist, Artists, artwork, contemporary art, financial crisis, murakami, Takashi Murakami

Louis Vuitton Takes London With Massive New Flagship

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Events

In a bold recession-defying move, Louis Vuitton just opened a massive new flagship store in London, it most luxurious yet rivaling its famed Paris property on the Champs Elysées. Designed by New York-based architect Peter Marino, who also worked on the Paris store, its most eye-catching feature is a two-story wall of trunks from various decades showcasing the Vuitton tradition of working in leather, alongside a glass and LED staircase. The 15,000-sq.-ft. store is designed to reflect the 21st century mood of London and bring together innovation, heritage and fashion - "all values that are important to Louis Vuitton," Yves Carcelle, Vuitton's chairman and CEO, told the London Telegraph.

Marino conceived the store as the home of a world-class Vuitton collector and connoisseur. The ground floor is devoted to Vuitton accessories and features original artworks from artists like Richard Prince and Takashi Murakami who have collaborated with the famed French luxury goods house in the past. The first floor is devoted to womenswear and shoes, and also houses a library of coffee table books. The store's second floor is a private client suite accessible only by invitation, for celebrities and VIPs, while menswear is located on the lower ground floor. Celebs attending the star-studded opening of the new store included Gwyneth Paltrow, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Macpherson, Gemma Arterton and Thandie Newton.

Gallery: Louis Vuitton's New London Flagship

Tags: architecture, boutiqe, coffee table books, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kirsten Dunst, London, Louis Vuitton, luggage, luxury goods, LVMH, Peter Marino, Richard Prince, store, Takashi Murakami, trunk

Art Basel Miami Beach: It's About the Art Again

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Art Basel Miami Beach starts on Thursday, and the word "test" is being used instead of "expectation." Even though there have been signs this month that the art market is turning the corner (or at least trying), caution remains pervasive, and the market is still seen to be fragile. The fair's organizers have said that profits will be down at least 20 percent for everyone involved, because of lower prices and a decline in the number of exhibitors.

Sixty of last year's participants have dropped out already, and the number of satellite art fairs around Art Basel Miami Beach has fallen from 22 to 16. Layout changes are taking the shift in participation and making it benefit those who remain. Exhibit space has been increased by 20 percent, and booths in the main art galleries area will be larger, as a result. This is where most of the action is. Eighty-five percent of the dealers have come back, and the number of stands has increased from 265 to 270.

Though prices are expected to be down at the Miami fair this year, artists and galleries aren't giving their work away. Emmanuel Perrotin, the Paris gallery, is trying to move Takashi Murakami's "Warp," painted this year, for $1.5 million. The same gallery is also pushing a Duane Hanson sculpture for $425,000 and a photographic print by Paola Pivi for $33,000. Edward Tyler Nahem, a first-timer at Art Basel Miami Beach, has a room full of paintings by Alejandra Icaza, which are selling for $35,000 a piece.

The crowd in Miami is likely to be a return to past decades, in which art collectors and investors -- rather than what Todd Levin, director of Levin Art Group calls the "fashionista crowd" -- dominate the scene. Art Basel Miami Beach thus might become an art fair again.

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Tags: art, art basel, Art basel Miami Beach, art exhibit, art exhibits, art fair, art galleries, Art Gallery, art market, art show, ArtBasel, ArtBaselMiamiBeach, ArtExhibit, ArtExhibits, ArtFair, ArtGalleries, ArtGallery, artist, ArtMarket, ArtShow, artwork, new york, NewYork, paris, Takashi Murakami, TakashiMurakami, todd levin, ToddLevin

Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion and Architecture

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Books

A lavish new coffee table book from Rizzoli titled Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion and Architecture is a seductive anthology of the famed French fashion house's collaborations with an international group of elite artists, architects, designers, and photographers, including Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, David LaChapelle, Annie Leibovitz, Takashi Murakami (whose updated LV monogram is featured on the cover) Richard Prince and Stephen Sprouse. Beautiful images are interspersed with critical essays that examine and position Louis Vuitton's patronage, under the guidance of Artistic Director Marc Jacobs, during "one of the most fertile periods of contemporary art and design." The book is divided alphabetically so as to serve as a sort of encyclopedia of the many collaborations, commissions and sponsorships Vuitton, a cornerstone of the LVMH luxury goods empire, has engaged in over the years.

Tags: Annie Leibovitz, AnnieLeibovitz, architecture, fashion, Frank Gehry, FrankGehry, Louis Vuitton, LouisVuitton, luggage, LVMH, Marc Jacobs, MarcJacobs, Richard Prince, RichardPrince, Rizzoli, Takashi Murakami, TakashiMurakami, Zaha Hadid, ZahaHadid

Takashi Murakami's Latest Vuitton Isn't A Handbag, It's A Movie

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

The latest collaboration between artist Takashi Murakami and Louis Vuitton isn't something you wear, it's something you watch. His latest work for the brand is called Superflat First Love, an anime short film. The movie was directed by anime-master Mamoru Hosoda and is based on Murakami's ideas and characters and of course there is plenty of Louis Vuitton product placement as well.

As Fast Company reports this is the second anime that Murakami has created for Louis Vuitton. The first, Superflat Monogram is after the jump.

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Tags: anime, louis vuitton, LouisVuitton, takashi murakami, TakashiMurakami

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The Brothel Prince & His Louis Vuitton Rolls-Royce

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Wealth, Crimes and Misdemeanors

Spotted in Monaco recently was this pimped-out Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe customized in a Murakami multicolored Louis Vuitton monogram, belonging to the infamous Prince Marcus von Anhalt. Von Anhalt, who's said to have essentially bought his title - Prinz von Anhalt, Herzog zu Sachsen und Westfalen, Graf von Askanien in full - by paying Zsa Zsa Gabor and her ninth husband Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt millions of dollars to adopt him, is one of Germany's largest and most high-profile brothel and nightclub owners.

He refers to himself as "Prince Germany" and apparently uses the Rolls to promote the Royal Race, a Gumball 3000-style exotic auto rally he launched last year. The Prince, who's been known to pal around with Pamela Anderson, claims to be a millionaire "in the three digit range" and to own 26 cars plus luxury real estate in several countries including Monaco and Dubai, attended by 12 bodyguards and 25 servants. This looks to us like not only a crime against taste but exactly the kind of thing LVMH's lawyers love to sue over.

[via JamesList]

Tags: Germany, Louis Vuitton, LouisVuitton, Monaco, Murakami, Pamela Anderson, PamelaAnderson, Prince Marcus von Anhalt, PrinceMarcusVonAnhalt, Rolls Royce, Rolls-Royce, RollsRoyce, Royal Race, RoyalRace, Royalty, takashi murakami, TakashiMurakami, Zsa Zsa Gabor, ZsaZsaGabor

Collector Sues Louis Vuitton Over Handbag Fabric Sold As Art

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Usually Louis Vuitton is on the suing end of lawsuits but it currently finds itself as the sued. Clint Arthur, who purchased several works by Takashi Murakami at the Vuitton boutique set up at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, is suing both Vuitton and the MOCA. Arthur first filed a lawsuit a year ago over a lack of proper documentation in regards to the two limited-edition prints he bought for a total of $12,000 in 2007. But now Clint Arthur considers himself the victim of a fraud after finding out, through an interview that the show curator Paul Schimmel did with ARTINFO in 2007 tthat the prints are made from the same materials as Murakami handbags. Basically Arthur could have bought himself a handbag for around $1,000 with the same fabric and some bonus hardware too.

Louis Vuitton says the blurring of art and commerce is part of the Murakami experience. Vuitton points out that Arthur has declined an offer of $12,000 plus interest which Vuitton alleges shows that the suit is just a bid for publicity and profit. Arthur for his part seems to be angry and driven by an urge to get to the bottom of the motives of both Murakami and Louis Vuitton. A hearing is scheduled for Monday on the motion to dismiss from Louis Vuitton.

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Tags: louis vuitton, LouisVuitton, museum of contemporary art, MuseumOfContemporaryArt, takashi murakami, TakashiMurakami

Murakami Craze the Latest Victim of Recession?

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Has the craze for Japanese artist and Louis Vuitton collaborator Takashi Murakami's work become the latest victim of the looming recession? In May, art world observers were astounded when Murakami's onanistic sculpture My Lonesome Cowboy, estimated at $3 - $4 million, ended up going for $15 million at a Sotheby's auction. Many expected a similar result Saturday evening when Phillips de Pury put another major Murakami work up for auction in London. However, the 21-ft. sculpture Tongari-kun (above), estimated at $6 - $7.8 million, did not draw a single bid, Bloomberg reports.

Moreover, Murakami himself was in the auction audience, no doubt wanting to witness the windfall in person. He took the snub well, however; as nothing but silence answered the auctioneer's calls, the artist burst out laughing. Some insiders said Murakami had been considering staging a big bucks solo auction like the one so successfully run by Damien Hirst, but he may rethink that now, at least until the economic picture improves. Hirst of course looks even more brilliant for staging his $200 million sale right before the financial markets really went to hell in a handbasket.

Tags: Contemporary Art, ContemporaryArt, Damien Hirst, DamienHirst, Louis Vuitton, LouisVuitton, Sculpture, Takashi Murakami, TakashiMurakami

Abramovich's Girlfriend Parties with Supermodels in Moscow

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Art

Our friends at Kempt spotted Dasha Zhukova, Russian oligarch / Luxist mascot Roman Abramovich's gorgeous 27-year-old girlfriend, partying with supermodels and movie stars at an A-list art gallery opening in Moscow the other night. Zhukova (right) rubbed elbows with the likes of Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova (left), sexy star of several ad campaigns, at the opening for megabucks art dealer Larry Gagosian in a former chocolate factory. As we reported recently, Abramovich has bankrolled a new Moscow art gallery for Zhukova, which will mount a major Francis Bacon exhibition in 2010. At the Gagosian show, works by the likes of Jeff Koons and Vuitton collaborator Takashi Murakami were on display.

Tags: dasha zhukova, DashaZhukova, Francis Bacon, FrancisBacon, Gagosian Gallery, GagosianGallery, Jeff Koons, JeffKoons, Kempt, Larry Gagosian, LarryGagosian, Moscow, natalia vodianova, NataliaVodianova, Russia, Supermodels, takashi murakami, TakashiMurakami

Marc Jacobs Sick of Louis Vuitton Collaborations

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

As Louis Vuitton's latest line in collaboration with an outside talent hits stores, the fashion house's designer Marc Jacobs says the increasingly frequent projects have gotten out of hand. Vuitton's new collection designed by Comme des Garçons' Rei Kawakubo just went on sale in Tokyo, but unlike previous LV collections by Takashi Murakami (far right, with Jacobs) and Richard Prince, Jacobs complains that he had no creative input on Kawakubo's, New York magazine reports.

"I've kind of warned everybody up there [at LV] that I think they've gotten a little too into this idea ," Jacobs says. "I'm glad that everybody gets behind it, but what they don't realize is that I do it at a pace that maintains the brand's integrity and seems really right, and I think that sometimes everybody loves a good idea so much that they kind of go too far and it kind of kills it." This could be an indication that despite the massive profits brought in by the trendy collaborations, they could be coming to an end soon, or at least slowing down considerably.

Gallery: Louis Vuitton Collaborations

Tags: Comme des Garons, CommeDesGarons, Louis Vuitton, LouisVuitton, Marc Jacobs, MarcJacobs, Rei Kawakubo, ReiKawakubo, Richard Prince, RichardPrince, Takashi Murakami, TakashiMurakami

Louis Vuitton Still Hot for Eva Herzigova

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

It appears that Louis Vuitton's love affair with '90s supermodels is a lasting one. The luxury brand has brought back Czech stunner Eva Herzigova, who starred in last season's Richard Prince-themed ads (above), for its new fall campaign. The futuristic new ads, shot by fashion photog duo Mert and Marcus at the Unisphere in Queens, feature the latest line of Vuitton bags including the new Takashi Murakami "Monogramouflage" design. Herzigova, who has starred in LV campaigns in years past, inspired the design house's classic "Eva Clutch" that my colleague Star Sutherland wrote about last month. See the gallery for images from the new campaign and more.

Gallery: Eva H. & LV

Tags: Ad campaigns, AdCampaigns, Eva Herzigova, EvaHerzigova, Fashion, Louis Vuitton, LouisVuitton, Richard Prince, RichardPrince, Supermodels, Takashi Murakami, TakashiMurakami

$70 Million Francis Bacon Stars in Sotheby's Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

A Francis Bacon triptych painted in 1976 is expected to fetch about $70 million in the star sale of Sotheby's Contemporary Art auction in New York on May 14. If the work, billed as the most important privately-held Bacon extant, does max out despite all the hand-wringing going on, the price will eclipse Impressionist claptrap like this $40 million Monet while still falling far short of some puffed-up Picassos. (The middle panel is pictured here; see the image gallery for the complete piece.) Back in February, a Bacon triptych sold for $46.1 million at Christie's in London, slightly below estimate, though the one currently on offer is the better work in our opinion.

Also included in the stunning sale is Mark Rothko's 1956 Orange, Red, Yellow, expected to fetch in excess of $35 million; Jean-Michel Basquiat's beautiful Untitled (Prophet I), est. $9 - $12 million; Robert Rauschenberg's 1963 Overdrive, est. $10 - $15 million; Richard Prince's Millionaire Nurse, est. $3.5 - $4.5 million; a 1986 Andy Warhol self-portrait, est. $2 - $3 million; an untitled Cy Twombly, est. $1.5 - $2 million; and a very naughty manga-inspired sculpture by Louis Vuitton collaborator Takashi Murakami, valued at an astonishing $3 - $4 million.

Gallery: Sotheby's Contemporary Art Auction