2019, a year of engagement with art and culture across the LVMH Group

Arnault family and LVMH Group mobilize for Notre-Dame de Paris

On April 15, 2019, the Notre Dame Cathedral, a symbol of France, its heritage and its unity, was partially destroyed by a devastating fire. Showing solidarity in response to this national tragedy, the Arnault family and the LVMH Group mobilized to aid in the reconstruction of this architectural jewel, donating a total of 200 million euros to the Notre Dame reconstruction fund.

LVMH official partner of film Woman

Reflecting a strong belief that the position of women in society is closely linked to the recognition they receive in their professional lives, the LVMH Group was proud to help make women’s voices heard by partnering the film Woman. Directed by Anastasia Mikova and Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Women is in fact more than a film, it is an international initiative, a journey to 50 countries around the world to meet some 2,000 women, immersing viewers in myriad life stories shaped by their culture, their faith or their family history. Despite their diverse backgrounds, their collected voices reveal a certain universality. All face the same life events and look into the camera as they share their feelings about intimate subjects such as femininity, maternity and their place in society with sincerity and kindness. Screened for the public during a premier at the 76th  Venice International Film Festival in early September 2019, Woman will be released in theaters in March 2020.

A moving adieu to Karl Lagerfeld, a creative genius

Following the announcement of the passing on February 19, 2019 of one of the great sources of modern inspiration, Bernard Arnault, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LVMH, paid tribute to the couturier: “With the passing of Karl Lagerfeld we have lost a creative genius who helped to make Paris the fashion capital of the world, and Fendi one of Italy’s most innovative Italian houses. We owe him so much: his taste and talent were the most exceptional I have ever known. I will always remember his boundless imagination, his ability to conceive new trends with each season, his inexhaustible energy, the virtuosity of his drawings, his carefully guarded independence, his encyclopedic culture, and his unique wit and eloquence.”

After six years as creative director of Maison Jean Patou, Karl Lagerfeld began a creative collaboration with Fendi in 1965 that would become the longest in the history of fashion. From the creation of the Italian Maison’s logo to new ways of wearing fur, Karl Lagerfeld helped make Fendi one of the most avant-garde labels in the world. On July 4, 2019, the Maison payed tribute to him through its “The Dawn of Romanity” haute couture show, set against the backdrop of the Roman Forum. 54 silhouettes to represent his 54-year tenure at Fendi, “the longest in the history of fashion,” noted Silvia Venturini Fendi, Creative Director of the Maison. The exceptional show unfolded in a symphony of shifting impressions in the heart of an ephemeral Italian garden, punctuated by glints of the sunset on reflecting pools with the Coliseum in the background. From the lines of the tailoring and the draping to the tucked shoulders and graphic décolletés, the allure collection’s silhouettes were informed by archive sketches by Karl Lagerfeld, reflecting the designer’s immortal genius.

Resounding success for exhibitions The Courtauld Collection. A Vision for Impressionism and Charlotte Perriand: Inventing a New World  at the Fondation Louis Vuitton

From February 20 to June 17, 2019 the Fondation Louis Vuitton presented 100 Impressionist masterpieces, including some of the greatest French works from the late 19th to the early 20th century acquired by English industrialist and patron of the arts Samuel Courtauld. The exhibition spanning three galleries revolved around two series of works by two major figures from the period, Georges Seurat and Paul Cézanne. Visitors were also able to admire major works by Claude Monet, Édouard Manet, Vincent Van Gogh, Edgar Degas, Auguste Renoir, Paul Gauguin, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Amedeo Modigliani.

At the beginning of October it was Charlotte Perriand’s turn, a major figure in the history of 20th century art, an engaged visionary who created objects and spaces that bridged all the arts and whose work remains an inexhaustible source of inspiration, to take over the Fondation Louis Vuitton. Bringing together more than 400 works, Charlotte Perriand: Inventing a New World is an exhibition/manifesto, presenting a dialogue between this avant-garde trailblazer and the artists of her time, including Fernand Léger and Pablo Picasso, as well as Georges Braque, Alexander Calder, Hisao Dômoto, Joan Miro, Henri Laurens, Le Corbusier and Sofu Teshigahara. Two hundred works of art are displayed, either integrated with Charlotte Perriand or underscoring links with her design works, tracing the contours of a new world between tradition and modernity. The exhibition runs until February 24, 2020.