French luxury brand Louis Vuitton is offering us the possibility to discover four different world destinations through four different perspectives. A veritable invitation on a journey.
You’ve already been able to travel with Louis Vuitton thanks to their famous trunks. Now, you can discover four marvelous destinations through their “Travel Books”. These travel logs are each illustrated by a foreign artist; you’ll discover New York alongside French artist’s Jean-Philippe Delhomme’s pencil, Paris through Congolese eyes, or Easter Island seen by an American. A judicious choice, for what could be more attentive, more thorough, than someone who hasn’t known these places forever? Louis Vuitton isn’t a newcomer in the field though, as they’ve been publishing their famous “City Guides” since 1998 that cover more than 100 destinations throughout the world.
Each artist has been given a blank slate to best express what they feel in seeing these landscapes, these atmospheres that are so different from each other but who’s charm always comes out time after time. Chéri Samba from Congo, loyal to his paintings that can already be contemplated at Paris’ centre Pompidou museum, offers us a Paris rich in colors through faint, naive sketches. Chéri Samba thinks of this critical but loving regard as an homage to the City of Lights that he first discovered, awe-struck, at age 25. Natsko Seki of Japan chose black and white collages supplemented by brighter colors to describe the atmosphere and architecture that characterizes London. France’s Jean-Philippe Delhomme opted for gouache to illustrate his travel log for New York. Without forgetting the Big Apple’s must-see attractions, the GQ illustrator has made a point of highlighting the lesser known places – like the studio founded by Jimi Hendrix that’s still intact since the 70s – that make New York so rich. This renowned artist traveled the city from top to bottom, camera in hand, to “seize the essence of the city” through the density and the intensity it gives off.
Since every city is different, so is every Travel Book. Daniel Arsham chose pure watercolors to make the reader feel the purity and atmosphere of Easter Island. More so than exhaustive guides, these travel guides are resolutely subjective creations made by talented artists that are charmed by the city or destination that they transcribe via their different techniques. These guides invite you on a journey to discover these places for yourself, these ambiances that you’ll have discovered thanks to these artists. 50 copies will be made available in Louis Vuitton boutiques from May 2nd onward, with Venice and Vietnam editions seen through the eyes of artists from Japan and Italy to appear in 2014.
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