There is some kind of brouhaha in the art world these days: MOCA has confirmed that the upcoming Takashi Murakami restrospective will feature a Vuitton boutique, "highlighting Murakami's longtime association with the luxury goods label," writes the LAT.Are the merchants taking over the temple? "People have touched base with the play between the commercial arena and high art, but this is a little more confrontational," says MOCA chief curator Paul Schimmel. USC's Fisher Gallery director Selma Holo concurs: "What's happening in museums is that the lines between commerce and pure art are increasingly blurred. So with respect to the Murakami show and the Vuitton shop, one has to wonder whether it is meant as a celebration of the trend, a critique of the trend or a satire?"
Murakami's work focuses on breaking the boundaries between "high" and "low" art, so this new form of collaboration with Vuitton, whether confrontational, critical or satiristic, is only an extension of his hyper-Warholian journey.
[more Vuitton branding: store, car, adbusters - all MOCA posts]
photo: detail of Vuitton/Murakami bag - via Google Images
