Yayoi Kusama at Louis Vuitton

Earlier today I walked up Fifth Avenue and noticed that the Louis Vuitton at 57th Street, <a href="http://architourist.pbworks.com/w/page/13599679/Louis%20Vuitton%20Store">designed by Jun Aoki</a>, looked a bit different.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/7641020978/" title="Yayoi Kusama at Louis Vuitton by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="Yayoi Kusama at Louis Vuitton" height="1000" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7641020978_c26dfc53b5_o.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Crossing the street to take a closer look, I realized that the storefront is decked out for <a href="http://whitney.org/Exhibitions/YayoiKusama">Yayoi Kusama's exhibition at the Whitney Museum</a>, which is <a href="http://www.louisvuittonkusama.com/">sponsored by Louis Vuitton</a>. Corporate ties to the world of art are hardly new, and brands like Louis Vuitton are particularly well connected to artists. I remember Takashi Murakami putting his cartoon characters on their handbags some years ago, so this one doesn't come as a shock.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/7641021526/" title="Yayoi Kusama at Louis Vuitton by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="Yayoi Kusama at Louis Vuitton" height="904" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7119/7641021526_80cdbafde9_o.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />But putting the artist in the storefront would be a shock. I must admit that I was fooled in my quick glance at this shop window. Was she taking the corporate tie-in to the next level? But <a href="http://runway.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/11/kusama-retrospective-is-new-exhibit-for-an-old-idea/">photos of the 83-year-old artist</a> around the Whitney opening and the unveiling of the polka-dot exterior show her in a wheelchair, so she is probably not up for standing in a window acting out the <a href="http://www.coolhunting.com/culture/the-abramovic-method.php">Abramovic Method</a>. Nevertheless the facade and displays are quite fun and playful, bringing plenty of attention to Louis Vuitton and Kusama's art.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/7641022124/" title="Yayoi Kusama at Louis Vuitton by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="Yayoi Kusama at Louis Vuitton" height="927" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8283/7641022124_3ec7f08cfd_o.jpg" width="640" /></a>

Yayoi Kusama at Louis Vuitton

Earlier today I walked up Fifth Avenue and noticed that the Louis Vuitton at 57th Street, designed by Jun Aoki , looked a bit different. Cro...

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