because I'm inane...

I REALLY want to stop buying Louis Vuittons, but this is certainly something I'm not about to pass up on. Takashi Murakami, the Japanese artist famous for plastering his cartoon creations all over the the LV monogram bags, has a new gimmick. He is going to have an art exhibit running in LA's MoCA (Museum of Contemporary Art), and along with this artwork, there will be a freestanding Vuitton store selling an exclusive version of handbags and leather accessories with a special character printed on them.

Murakami was a big reason I started to buy LVs. It started out so innocently, beginning with a pochette covered in cherry blossoms (pink on brown). Then I bought another one, in a different color (red on cream). I chased every future Murakami piece I could afford, from owning 2 cherry handbags (one of them a runway piece accented in bright red lizard - GORGEOUS!) and a wallet embellished with a panda. Not to mention the variety of clutches and wallets I bought with the colorful monogram on white canvas. (Never was a fan of the black canvas.) I even succumbed while on a trip to Italy...I stood in the Venice LV store like a deer in headlights, and I HAD to buy. So I did.

While the curator of MoCA thinks that having the store within the exhibit breaks the barrier between low and high art, I don't know if I buy into that. If that's the case, why are these bags costing $800-900 each? Why not lower the cost? And is it about art anymore when pieces right then and there are for sale? Are the pieces on exhibit for sale, too?

Also, why isn't MoCA getting a cut of the profits? MoCA isn't charging LV rental space for the shop either. Maybe MoCA needs to invest in some finance guys to help them out here. Sounds like Bernard Arnault got his way and found another way to make money without giving anything up.

I have no idea how I'm going to get my hand on one of these goodies, but if I need to call the museum, or even fly to LA, I might have to. Maybe this can be a treat for X'mas break. :P After all, LV promises that there will be enough merchandise to last the length of the exhibit. I hope that's true, 'cause I can't wait!

“© Murakami” Exhibit at MoCA (10.29.07 - 02.11.08) - handbags and accessories for $875-$920

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