An exhibit at Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris celebrates two very different artists: Louis Vuitton, who founded the famed fashion house in 1854, and Marc Jacobs, its current creative director. Rather than telling a chronological story of the house, the show examines the careers of the two men, charting their rise to become leaders during two decisive periods. Now the catalog for the show, which is published by Rizzoli, is hitting shelves.
The show compares Vuitton’s and Jacobs’s “obsession with a job well done, their penchant for innovation, and their influence over their respective ages are at the heart of this exhibit, which invites us to penetrate the intimacy of their imaginations,” says Helene David-Weill, president of Les Arts Décoratifs.
As Robin Givhan put it, the goal of the show “is not to tell a chronological story of how the LV monogram became a status symbol and how Jacobs transformed a luggage and handbag house into a fashion brand. Instead, it is meant to offer an impressionistic exploration of each man’s ‘ah-ha’ moments of inspiration and the ways in which they were connected.” See images from the book in the slides ahead.