The French Pavilion at the Osaka Expo, sponsored by LVMH MOET HENNESSY LOUIS VUITTON, showcases crafts from LOUIS VUITTON, DIOR and CELINE, as well as handmade sculptures and plaster works by French sculptor Auguste Rodin. The Celine exhibition will run until May 11. Then, as the event draws to a close, the team will turn to visit the CHAUMET exhibition.
Louis Vuitton expressed its love for craftsmanship and its love for Japan. Shigematsu Shohei’s installation showed 84 tree trunks surrounding Rodin’s “Cathedral”. In the second space, Daito Manabe’s video work was projected onto a sphere made of tree trunks, known as the “Trunk Ball”, taking visitors on a fantastic sensory journey.
Meanwhile, Dior’s collection focused on various silhouettes from the brand’s history, starting with the Bar jacket designed by Christian Dior in 1947. Around 400 white calico pieces, three-dimensional renderings of silhouette sketches, will be on display along with perfume bottles reinterpreted using 3D printing. The “Medallion Chair” designed by Tokujin Yoshioka in 2021 will also decorate the venue.
The last brand, CELINE, exhibited the lacquer art work “Triomph” by the artist group “Makie Hikoju” based in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, which uses lacquerware as a creative medium, and its iconic bags in the same color scheme. The exhibition also features a video showing Celine’s craftsmanship, a craft that has not received much attention until now.
In addition, the bistro on the upper floors of the building will serve Moët & Chandon champagne. Norbert Leuret, President of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton Japan, said humorously: “LVMH and Japan have a long history, dating back to the 18th century when Hennessy Cognac was introduced to Japan from France.
That is why Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH, immediately decided to participate in the Osaka Expo. We hope that an average of 20,000 visitors a day will be able to understand and appreciate the craftsmanship. We will be very happy if people who have never been to France or bought LVMH products can think, ‘I want to go and see’ or ‘Maybe I can try to buy one.'” I hope that when everyone comes to Osaka, they can enjoy half a day of the Expo and half a day of shopping and have fun. “