Cover Takashi Murakami at Art Basel Paris, where Louis Vuitton’s Artycapucines collection was presented (Photo: courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
Takashi Murakami at Art Basel Paris, where Louis Vuitton’s Artycapucines collection was presented (Photo: courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
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At Art Basel Paris, Louis Vuitton unveils a unique presentation and its new Artycapucines collection, created by Takashi Murakami
In a cultural moment, the announcement of the Artycapucines VII – Louis Vuitton × Takashi Murakami collection arrives at Art Basel Paris 2025 as a welcome flourish. Almost two decades since their initial collaboration, the Japanese artist’s visual world once again merges with the meticulous craft of the Parisian House, proving that some creative dialogues deserve a beautiful encore.
Louis Vuitton’s commitment as an associate partner of Art Basel Paris for the third year running culminates in a spectacular presentation, with Murakami personally conceiving an installation that transforms the Balcon d’Honneur. The centrepiece is an eight-metre-high octopus sculpture, inspired by traditional Chinese lanterns. This creature’s head features the artist’s Superflat Jellyfish Eyes pattern, a motif that speaks to childhood fears of surveillance while simultaneously rendering them in a soft, playful guise. Its tentacles reach out, effectively annexing the exhibition space.
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Above The Artycapucines VII collection on display (Photo: courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
The Artycapucines VII collection on display (Photo: courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
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The installation itself serves as a threshold into a dreamscape. Exclusive sketches by the artist greet visitors as they enter the world of Murakami. The carpeting mirrors the tentacular motifs, drawing observers into the exhibit’s immersive nature. Within the sprawling arch of the central octopus, the 11 creations of the Artycapucines VII collection are presented.
Murakami’s artworks, from the Mr. DOB to the Superflat Panda and the ever-present Smiling Flowers, find new forms on the House’s Capucines bag, named for the Parisian street where Louis Vuitton opened his first store in 1854. The collection is showcased alongside three of Murakami’s spherical Plush Balls, developed since 1995, including the Multicolor Plush Ball.
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Above Takashi Murakami at Art Basel Paris (Photo: courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
Above The Artycapucines VII collection on display (Photo: courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
Takashi Murakami at Art Basel Paris (Photo: courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
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The inventive skill of Louis Vuitton’s artisans fully manifests in each of the 11 pieces. The Capucines Mini Mushroom, for example, is a veritable leather goods masterwork, translating a psychedelic forest vision onto the bag with approximately 100 3D-printed mushroom characters carefully hand-embroidered. Meanwhile, the Panda Clutch is a sculpture in its own right, adorned with 6,300 hand-set strass. Bags such as the Capucines XXL Camo and Capucines East West Dragon draw direct inspiration from major Murakami paintings, such as Dragon in Clouds Indigo Blue, demonstrating how the House’s expertise, extending to cutting-edge technologies like 3D printing, puts craft fully at the service of the artist’s vision.
Above Takashi Murakami with the Artycapucines VII collection (Photo: courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
Takashi Murakami with the Artycapucines VII collection (Photo: courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
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This collection, and the accompanying installation, mark a high point in an artistic relationship that began in 2003, when Murakami was the first artist invited to re-interpret the Monogram canvas. It celebrates a practice that fuses traditional Nihonga painting with Japanese anime and pop culture, breaking boundaries between fine art and subculture. The return of Louis Vuitton and Murakami is a reaffirmation of the power of imagination, lovingly wrought into reality.
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Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is the assistant digital editor of Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
