France is the country partner for the Business of Design Week 2009 (BoDW). Sixteen years on the roll, Le French May is showcasing many major visual art exhibitions.
‘Louis Vuitton: A Passion for Creation’ is the first ever exhibition organised by the Fondation Louis Vuitton pour la Création outside France. The first part emphasies on long time collaborator Takashi Murakami. The model of renowned architect Frank Gehry’s (mostly known for Walt Disney Concert Hall and Weisman Art Museum) Proust-inspired design for the Fondation pour la Création building will also on show. Another part is twelve art pieces of the Fondation from America, Europe and China, by artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons and seven young Hong Kong artists. Frank Gehry and Takashi Murakami will be in Hong Kong to host talks.
Following the Vivienne Westwood exhibition, the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) will be back in Hong Kong with another major exhibition ‘The Golden Age of Couture, Paris and London, 1947 – 1957’ at the Heritage Museum of Art. This exhibition will focus on post-war couture during a decade that Christian Dior described as the ‘Golden Age’ of fashion. Dior, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Pierre Balmain and Hubert de Givenchy from France; Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies from the U.K., the exhibition will also include classic photography work by master photographers such as Cecil Beaton and Richard Avedon.
Le Festival will also present the model of ‘French Pavillion for the World Expo Shanghai 2010’. A design inspired by Cartesian coordinate system and geometry, the suspending structure is like a French garden erected on a straight line. Architect Jacques Ferrier will attend the event on 19th May for a presentation.
Apart from exhibitions, Le French May 2009 also includes seventeen performances and art events, covering classical music, contemporary music, dance, musical and theatre. The highlights are ‘Serious Playtime: The Modern World of Jacques Tati’ film festival, ‘Food‧Art‧Elements’ ﹣ a glorious feast by food artists Emmanuelle Becquemin and Stéphanie Sagot. The audience and their mothers are in for a French flavour Mother’s Day.
Text: THINK SILLY | Translation: dilettante
Photo Courtesy: Le French May
Update: 17 Apr 2009
