FIAC

The Comité Colbert and the FIAC will be joining hands from the 26th - 30th of October in the Cour Carré du Louvre and other prestigious venues. This coming together of contempory art and luxury remind us of the inextricable bond between innovation, creation and luxury.

"Créer, exceller, émerveiller" - the motto of the Comité Colbert has been translated to the many events organised during this period in association with the FIAC. Not only will some Happy Few be able to visit cradles of creation such as the ateliers Haute Couture Dior, they will also be able to meet with visionnaries of the luxury industry.

Comité Colbert à la FIAC

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Boxing in Contemporary Art

It is out right war on the art scene between Pinault (PPR) and Arnault (LVMH).
Before writing this post I googled "arnault art -pinault" and "pinault art -arnault". 1 point to Pinault (332000 pages as opposed to 142000 for his opposant).
Let's just recapitulate: Obviously you have noticed the ping pong going on this year: Isle seguin (previous post : Fondation Pinault), Fondation Louis Vuitton (previous post : LVMH has found it's soul) now Pinault tops the charts in becoming this year's most influent person in the art world according to artreview (I might have omitted a couple of exhibitions).

I won't go into the fact that both have contributed in a very influential way in various art events and exhibits. I won't into the fact that Christie's was bought by Pinault in 1998, followed closely by Arnault's purchase of Jacques Tajan (and caressing the secret ambition of purchasing Sotheby's) either.

So what's all the fuss about? Contemporary art and luxury goods have been hand in hand since both acquired notoriety. This battle of the art just makes me say: "hey! there are other foundations too"...

Here are the other less publicised examples of luxury brand owned foundations (not all have prestigious venues):
Fondation Cartier
Fondation Prada
Fondation Pierre Bergé YSL (mainly fashion)
Fondation Audemars Piguet
La verrière Hermès

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From Dexigner:

How will we live tomorrow? With what products? In what sort of houses? And what is design anyway?

ENTRY2006- "We understand design as an important driving force for economic development. There are a mass of reciprocal effects between the business world, architecture and design, which will be further deepened and built on at ENTRY2006 in many different ways. The old truism about trying to launch new products on the market is more valid nowadays than ever before: "Ugliness does not sell" (Christa Thoben, Minister for Business, Medium-Sized Firms and Power, from the Federal State of North-Rhine Westphalia)

Design und technological developments: Products for tomorrow's world Technological developments play a decisive role in design disciplines – architecture, landscape architecture, product design and communication design.
Here ENTRY2006 will also be providing answers: for example to the question of how marketable products for tomorrow's world arise from current research and experiments in business and further education establishments: in biotechnology, metallurgy, research into artificial materials and nanotechnology. The same goes for architecture, a branch in which new materials for future buildings are gradually increasing in importance...

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Arts in autumn

What is luxury without culture?
I believe that without creative forces at hand the luxury industry runs the risk of going stale. This is why I regularly post cultural and design events happening in Paris.

Here we are, beginning of October and at the eve of the Nuit Blanche (night of the 7-8th October)- a night where the Paris streets are open to all contemporary arts. The city as backdrop to culture, all you really have to do is walk around... and you have the whole night to do this.
Some events can be discovered on the official website. Some neighbourhoods, like the marais, try to keep track of the more obscure happenings.

I will try not to miss the project Yves Klein never saw realised during his lifetime, at the obelisk of the concord - sposored by LVMH.
Another one on my list is "Boucle" a giant human mobile created by Xavier Veilhan on a skating rink with music by Sebastien Tellier.

So, if traipsing around in Paris by night is not your thing here are a couple of other ideas to keep up to date on the arts scene:

Major event of the season : the re-opening of the musée des arts décoratifs (15th of September)


101 years after its initial opening, and 10 years after its closing for renovation, this institution housed in the Marsan wing of the Louvre showcases thousands of objects on 6000 square metres.

ICONIC-At the Espace Louis Vuitton, nine designers celebrate the Vuitton bag.

(15th September-31 december 2006)

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LVMH has found its "Soul" - Le Mécénat

Press Conference M. Arnault 2 October 2006
(VIDEO and PDF formats)

I would just like to take a breather and reality check amidst all this catwalk hoo-hah.

Has anybody noticed the headlines about Mr Arnault and his announcement of the "Louis Vuitton Fondation pour la Création"?
To sum things up, after much procrastination and following the press conference of today (see above for video coverage), it is official!
Concretely, this venture will result in a brand new venue for the contemporary art scene. The old bowling club of the Jardin D'Acclimatation will be replaced by a brand new edifice cretated by genius Frank Gehry ( see video below) and will house the private collections of Bernard Arnault as well as temporary exhibitions.
Also, according to some sources, the Foundation will be headed by Suzanne Pagé (current director of the Musée d'Art Moderne Paris).

Let's dig into my archives : Fondation Pinault
I had already mentioned a possible stand off on the ART terrain. One preferring Venice, the other well implanted in Paris (participation in the Force de L'Art exhibition) . At the time I was also was concerned by the fact that I would not have M. Pinault's collection at a couple of metro stops from my place... M. Arnault's will be even closer.

"Sketches of Frank Gehry" by Sidney Pollack - Festival de Cannes 2006

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Ces Monsieurs au Musée

A couple of days off in summer? Why not zip around the corner or use these exhibitions as an excuse for a long week end.
Fashion, design and art, three disciplines which tickle our sense of créativity. Knowing our history helps us acquire the basics for the future. For those of you who are neophites, just enjoy the innovations of those times when one adressed designers as "Monsieur".

Paris, France

Exposition "Christian Dior et le Monde"
jusqu’au 24 septembre au Musée Christian Dior à Granville
lvmh
Musée Dior

Exposition “Balenciaga Paris” , du 6 juillet 2006 au 28 janvier 2007, Les Arts Décoratifs, Musée de la Mode et du Textile, 107, Rue de Rivoli, 75001 PARIS.
Balenciaga Exhibition

Lyon, France
Exposition "Leonard - Impressions de Mode", du 7 avril au 8 Octobre 2006 Musée des Tissus et des Arts Décoratifs de LYON.
Musee des tissus

Marseille, France
Exposition "Dress Code: Tenue de Cocktail", au musée de la mode de Marseille jusqu'au 10 septembre 2006
Mairie de Marseille

Anvers, Belgique
3ème épisode d’une série d’expositions consacrée au couturier japonais Yohji Yamamoto, jusqu'au 13 août 2006 au Musée de la Mode de la Province d’Anvers (MoMU)
MoMu

Brescia, Italie
Exposition ″Versace : Un Homme, Un Génie de la Mode et des Arts″, au Musée de la mode et du Costume Mazzucchelli de Ciliverghe de Mazzano, Brescia. Les relations proches entre Gianni Versace et l’art, jusqu'au 29 octobre 2006.
Musei Mazzucchelli


For more information on other happenings throughout europe:
Culture et loisirs France2

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Fondation Pinault

Unfortunately the commune of Boulogne Billancourt will not be hosting the Fondation Pinault on it's Ile Seguin.
Due to red tape issues and time line problems, Mr Pinault (PPR) has decided to open his fondation in VENICE in the Grazzi Palace (formerly FIAT). This really makes me wonder on how reactive the french government really is on cultural issues involving international yet french based corporations.
Could this be a deliberate move against PPR?

Not wanting to talk about politics on this blog, I felt the need to express my dismay of very selfishly not being able to easily access this fabulous collection (the initial museum planned would have been at 5 metro stops from my house).

Not only has France lost the oppertunity to host a great foundation, but the paris region has lost out on a cultural space that would have brought paris back to it's former artistic glory.
The other cultural projects planned on the Isle Seguin are compromised by this pull out.

This act is quite surprising considering the effort thas has been put into cotemporary art in Paris lately. The "FORCE DE L'ART" exposition showcased contemporary french and french based artists in the fabulously recently restored Grand Palais (with the helping hand of LVMH).

I thought to myself - yes- Paris is really happening again on the creative scene.
But now this set back.

Why an article on art on this blog?
Creativity one of the most important factors of the luxury industry. The product being the key, without creative influences on hand, french creations run the risk of becoming stale on an international market.

see also: Studiograph
Fondation Pinault

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