Louis Vuitton (opens in new tab) may have blossomed from artisanal leather luggagemaker to a global fashion powerhouse but it has never strayed far from its roots a pioneer of luxury travel. Its commitment to the cause has seen it launch the iconic 'Carnets de Voyage' guides, as well as the recent 'Objets Nomades' accessories collection - and now the brand is presenting an inspired vision of contemporary travel with a new collection of books, each volume a compelling visual journey told through the eyes of an artist.
Placing emphasis on popular cities, as much as far-flung locations, the inaugural global tour kicks off with four vibrant locales: New York, Paris, London and Easter Island, with Vietnam and Venice set to follow soon after. This is made all the more dynamic with the house’s pairing of artists to a city that is not their home: Frenchman Jean-Philippe Delhomme (opens in new tab) paints New York; Chéri Samba (opens in new tab), a Congolese artist, investigates Paris; Japanese illustrator Natsko Seki (opens in new tab) envisions London; and American artist Daniel Arsham (opens in new tab) visits Easter Island.
In each tome, familiar and unexpected scenes are depicted with equal creative flourish. At Arsham’s hand, the historic statues of Easter Island take on a haunting, melancholic quality. In contrast, Samba’s otherworldly scenes of Paris are charged with political commentary. The fresh approach of pitching artist versus destination conveys the unique feeling of being on a journey with the artist while looking through his lens, making for captivating fodder cover to cover.
We caught up with illustrator (and occasional New Yorker) Jean-Philippe Delhomme, who put brush to paper to show us his vision of New York. He shared with us his favourite haunts, along with insight on what continues to make it the destination of choice for millions, year after year...
What attracted you to this project?
I've been traveling and working on different projects and clients in New York since the mid-1900s, having done several advertising campaigns for Barneys, and more recently working for clients like The Mark Hotel (opens in new tab), and Sotheby's (opens in new tab). I've always been very inspired by the city. In fact, it's difficult to find a place this exciting visually; the buildings, signs, the fact that it's by the water, and often industrial. Plus there is this incredible light. And of course, the tremendous variety of people and characters.
What characteristics about New York did you try to capture in your drawings?
The most impressive thing for an artist in New York is its sharp and violent light - and its shadows, the deepest I've seen in any city. There's also a certain melancholy and loneliness to New York that I like, and the sense that things are miraculously suspended in time but eroded by the weather. I love the remains of the Old New York (opens in new tab) – old storefronts, garage repairs shops, skyscrapers’ entrances. These things make the city a poetic space, and not just a global shopping experience.
What things about the city did you discover while working on the book?
Being so familiar to the city after many years, the challenge for me was to find or revisit places that I still find poetic and inspirational. I was happy to be able to visit Electric Lady Studios (opens in new tab), which was created by Jimi Hendrix in the late sixties, just before he died. There are fantastic, cosmic murals commissioned by Hendrix and painted at the time by an artist, Lance Jost (opens in new tab).
What are some of your new favourite places in New York that you found as a result of this project?
One of my favourite things is to hang out in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and go for a meal - there is the Lobster Pound (opens in new tab) in the day, and The Good Fork (opens in new tab) at night for dinner. These days I also like to go to Reynards (opens in new tab) in the Wythe Hotel (opens in new tab) in Williamsburg as well as walking around my studio in in Queens. The buildings, metal scrap yards, sidewalk car repairs are fantastic to paint as a landscape.
The first collection includes, clockwise from left: Paris by Congolese artist Chéri Samba; London by Japanese illustrator Natsko Seki; Easter Island by American artist Daniel Arsham and New York by Jean-Philippe Delhomme. © Louis Vuitton.
Here, we take a closer look at French illustrator Jean-Philippe Delhomme's vision of New York. The cover of his volume features a colourful rendition of Times Square
A spread from the Central Park chapter: 'Man walking a caged bird' (left) and 'Photographer and musicians by the reservoir' (right)
Each chapter is dedicated to a district in the city, such as Central Park, where Delhomme painted everyday scenes such as horse carriages and runners passing through the park
From the book: 'Boating on Central Park Lake in Fall'. © Louis Vuitton/Jean Philippe-Delhomme
Detail of 'Times Square'
From the book: 'Tire shop in Hell's Kitchen'. © Louis Vuitton/Jean Philippe-Delhomme
'Entrance hall of Lincoln Center', Upper West Side
A spread from the East Village, Lower East Side chapter: 'Coffee truck' (left) and 'Hipsters at an opening' (right)
Sample spreads from the other volumes in the inaugural collection include: Natsko Seki's depiction of London's Bank of England, which combines hand-drawn illustrations with computer and photographic elements. © Louis Vuitton/Natsko Seki
Daniel Arsham recreated scenes of Easter Island in gouache, focusing here on the quarry in Rano Raraku. © Louis Vuitton/Daniel Arsham
Chéri Samba's drawings are informed by the details of the society around him. In this scene, the artist states: 'You can find any book in Paris if you look hard enough'. © Louis Vuitton/Chéri Samba
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