jeff koons X louis vuitton: masterpieces meet metallic monograms, leather and gold

jeff koons has teamed up with louis vuitton on a 51-piece series of leather goods, handbags, and accessories that reinterpret some of the world’s most famous artworks. the ‘masters’ collection is drawn from koons’ 2015 ‘gazing ball’ series — where replicas of works by titian, el greco, and manet (among others) were interrupted by a blue glass ball attached to the front of the painting. for this collaboration with the french fashion house, koons builds on the theme by emblazoning works by da vinci, rubens, and van gogh on signature vuitton pieces.

the da vinci ‘speedy 30’, complete with leather lining embossed, printed and filled with gold
all images courtesy of louis vuitton

the louis vuitton bags become a canvas for koons to express the ‘masters’ collection. backpacks, clutches, keepalls and silk squares are among the items to host famous painted works like da vinci’s ‘mona lisa’, rubens’ ‘the tiger hunt’, and van gogh’s ‘a wheatfield with cypresses’. accessories are replete with the gold monogram serti, reflective metallic letters and colored trimming. ‘having the names of the artists in reflective type is in a way performing a function like the gazing ball in the ‘gazing ball paintings’, koons says, ‘there’s also a reflective process about the person being interlinked with the bag.’ an exclusive leather lining — embossed, printed and filled with gold — describes the collaboration in further detail.

mona lisa’s face on the ‘palm spring’s backpack features reflective metallic letters and colored trimmings