Louis Vuitton Supports the Red Cross & Auctions 6 Special Order Artist Editions

Louis Vuitton Celebrates 150 Years of Excellence in Savoir-Faire With a Special Tribute to the Red Cross

First off, throughout the month of November, Louis Vuitton, North America will be donating a percentage of sales on their US website of four iconic pieces; the Keepall, Speedy, Noe and Alma to the American Red Cross in honor of the 150th anniversary.



The Keepall was originally created as a back-up bag included in the Louis Vuitton trunk and quickly became the ultimate weekend tote. The Speedy was created in 1930 but became famous when it was redesigned specifically for Audrey Hepburn in the 1960s. The Noe was invented by Gaston Louis Vuitton to perfectly hold five champagne bottles. The Alma was originally inspired by the Art Deco movement and has become a recognizable symbol of Louis Vuitton.
Shop for them now here thru Nov. and support the Red Cross.

The Six Special Collaborations:



In addition to the special offering on Louis Vuitton North America's website, Louis Vuitton is celebrating the anniversary worldwide through exceptional Special Order collaborations with six different artists and designers.

Since its creation in 1854, Louis Vuitton has offered customers the possibility of producing Special Orders to cater a specific need or to fulfil a particular desire. In order to celebrate over a century and a half of exceptional savoir-faire at Louis Vuitton’s first workshop in Asnières, France, Louis Vuitton offered six masters of savoir-faire the opportunity to create a unique Special Order that embodies their exceptional expertise in their respective professions.

The six personalities are the artist Damien Hirst, the chef Ferran Adrià, the photographer Annie Leibovitz , the musician and composer Gustavo Santaolalla, the designer Marc Jacobs and Patrick Louis-Vuitton, the head of Louis Vuitton's Special Orders department and a member of the fifth generation of the Vuitton family. Each piece was designed by Patrick-Louis Vuitton in collaboration with the personality.

Annie Leibowitz and her LV Monogram Nomadic Photographer's Bag:

The bag being constructed in the Asnieres workshop:



Marc Jacobs' LV Monogram Dog Crate:

The crate being constructed in the Asnieres workshop:



Ferran Adrià and his LV Damier Graphite Travel Luggage:

The luggage being constructed in the Asnieres workshop:



Gustavo Santaolalla's LV Instrument Case:


The case being constructed in the Asnieres workshop:



Patrick Louis-Vuitton and his Compartmentalized Case:

The case being constructed in the Asnieres workshop:


Damien Hirst's Medical Cabinet:


Uniting tradition and modernity, these pieces are testament to Louis Vuitton’s savoir-faire in the domain of Special Orders. Ranging from hard-frame to soft-sided, they are interpreted in a variety of materials, from Monogram and Damier Graphite canvas, to Nomade leather and alligator.



The Asnieres workshop (above) was the sole production facility for Louis Vuitton from 1859 to 1977 and is where all hard-frame luggage, special orders, exotic leather and limited-edition bags continue to be made today. For over a century and a half the workshop has been the living symbol of the company's unique combination of tradition and innovation.

In addition to the unique special orders created by the masters of savoir-faire, the auction will also include a limited-edition Red Cross medical trunk, crafted by Louis Vuitton to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Red Cross:

The LV Red Cross Medical Kit:


above and below: The hard-sided case in Monogram canvas, equipped with Louis Vuitton’s signature natural leather handle, brass S-lock and corners, opens frontally to reveal an array of red and grey aluminum medicine boxes arranged in such a way as to form the familiar emblem of the RedCross. The logo of the Red Cross is hand-painted on the front of the case.



You can see some more wonderful images of the Louis Vuitton Medical Chest being built here at Hypebeast.

The Special Order pieces will be offered in a charity auction held at Sotheby's in London on November 17th with proceeds donated to the Red Cross. The proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Red Cross for their Fight against Malnutrition program in Nigeria.

These Special Orders will have traveled the world to cities such as Mexico City, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Dubai, Seoul and New York between July and November 2009, for a series of exclusive viewings by clients of Sotheby’s and Louis Vuitton.

Discussing this charity auction, Yves Carcelle, President of Louis Vuitton said: “For over a century and a half, Louis Vuitton's Asnières workshop has been the living symbol of the company's unique combination of tradition and innovation. To mark this important anniversary, Louis Vuitton will celebrate ‘l’Excellence du Savoir-Faire’ through its heritage of Special Orders by partnering with some of today’s iconic figures who themselves possess a rare expertise.”

Cheyenne Westphal, Sotheby’s Chairman of Contemporary Art Europe, commented: “We are thrilled to host this gala dinner charity auction in November, the proceeds of which will benefit such a worthy cause. The auction will showcase pieces created by some of the most talented individuals in their respective professions and the sale of these limited-edition pieces will no doubt generate tremendous excitement and interest.”

All information and images courtesy of Louis Vuitton, Red Cross and Sotheby's.

Just In Time For Halloween; More Wild Skulls By Artist Damien Hirst

above: one from each of Hirst's series; Hypnotic, Transcendent and Hallucinatory Heads.

A lot of blogs have been covering artist Michael Leon's colored gypsum skulls lately and I've seen many a post on everything from crayon skulls to skull flash drives. But if you're an art fan and a skull fan, I can't think of a more fun combination that the series of Damien Hirst's 'spinner' painted skulls.


above: Hirst with his diamond encrusted skull

I'm sure most of you are familiar with artist Damien Hirst's diamond and platinum skull. Lauded as the singularly most expensive piece of sold art at 100 million dollars, the skull, titled "For The Love Of God".


above: For The Love Of God, the 100 million dollar diamond encrusted platinum skull by Damien Hirst

A common theme in his own, as well as many other artist's work, Hirst has created several other versions of skulls that you may not know about and that are available for purchase.

In this latest series of 50 painted skulls are three categories manifested as three variations of form: Hallucinatory Head, Hypnotic Head and Transcendent Head, with each skull a unique result of the now famous and highly sought after ‘Spin’ painting technique.

The skull is one of a number of recurring motifs not only in Damien Hirst’s work but also in the history of art, and in this special edition has been reworked back in to his signature. The technique is simple but the result relies on complex ideas about mortality and the history of mankind, touching on specific anthropological and historical readings, with compelling, celebratory and seductive results.

A suggested memento mori of a more uplifting and contemporary slant, Hirst’s proximity to the subject of death is ever fresh, rewarding and daring, seeking to challenge the often morbid art historical approach to the subject. His skulls engage, they fix us with their own kind of gaze, imploring us to see the comedy within them. Here, the image of death is less unknowable, more approachable, a little lighthearted, even, whilst possessing something of an ancient relic or offering to the gods. Influences of the Mexican celebration, Dia de los Muertos, fuse ritual and anthropology with ornament, demonstrating the crux of Hirst’s practice wherein the philosophical and eternal become part of the vocabulary of modern life and modern aesthetic.


The Hallucinatory Heads


These are multi-colored glossy spinner paints on partial plastic skulls (no lower jawbone):




The Transcendent Heads


These are multi-colored glossy spinner paints on plastic full skulls with eyeballs:





The Hypnotic Heads


These are black and white glossy spinner painted plastic heads of full skulls with empty eye sockets:



specs for all:
210 x 140 x 140 mm
Household gloss on plastic skull

all information and images are courtesy of The Other Criteria, which is the only place where these skulls shown above can be purchased.

Other Must See Skull Posts:

• The Sensory Deprivation Skull:

read about it here.

The Limited Edition Bell & Ross Skull Watch:

read about it here.

Dan Aykroyd's Crystal Head Vodka:

Read about it here.

If you like skull items, be sure to check out the over 135 skull items I've posted on This Next

Golden Girl: Artist Marc Quinn Unveils 18k Gold Statue of Kate Moss

An 18 karat gold sculpture of model Kate Moss in a yoga position is hardly my idea of a worthwhile way to spend approximately 2.75 million US dollars. But that's the estimated value of artist Marc Quinn's latest incarnation of his contorted life-sized Kate Moss figure.



above: Marc Quinn with "Kate" aka Siren.

Unveiled this morning in the British Museum as part of the Statuephilia exhibition, the work, entitled Siren, was created by sculptor Marc Quinn, best known for his sculpture Alison Lapper Pregnant, which stood on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square.



above: Marc Quinn's most well-known sculpture, 'Alison Lapper Pregnant', in Trafalgar Square.

The statue of Moss, described as an “Aphrodite of our times”, now stands in the British Museum’s Nereid Gallery alongside legendary Greek heroines such as the Crouching Venus, a statue of Venus caught bathing.



The sculpture, which is hollow, weighs about as much as the supermodel herself according to the artist, and is believed to be the largest gold statue made in the world since Ancient Egyptian times.



Quinn said of his choice of Moss as a subject: “I thought the next thing to do would be to make a sculpture of the person who’s the ideal beauty of the moment. "

This isn't the first time Marc Quinn has used the iconic model in his work. He originally cast Kate in white-washed bronze in 2005 and called it Sphinx (shown below).


above: 2005, Sphinx, from all angles.



The golden Kate, who stands in a yoga position, is not alone in the exhibition in the British Museum. She has 200 Damien Hirst skulls for company, which commandeer the historic wall cases of the Enlightenment Gallery (shown below).


above: Damien Hirst's "Cornucopia" and a Noble and Webster work, sculpted entirely from mummified animal parts.


above: Anthony Gormley's Case for an Angel I, the precusor to his celebrated winged sculpture, iconic Angel of the North, fills the front hall of the museum.


The Statuephilia exhibition of contemporary sculptures will run at the British Museum from October 4 to January 25