Since 2019, Louis Vuitton has given leading contemporary artists like Urs Fischer and Kennedy Yanko the opportunity to bring their unique visions to the maison’s Capucines handbag, a classic design named after the Parisian street on which the luggage maker first opened shop in 1854. Now the luxury brand has partnered with Sotheby’s for a charity auction of these limited-edition Artycapucines bags.
Artycapucines bag by artist Ugo Rondinone. Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
The online auction, which runs through July 12, offers 22 Artycapucines bags, each signed by the artist and presented in a hatbox covered in Vuitton’s signature Monogram pattern, a luxurious addition to the bags’ initial limited run. What’s more, proceeds from each bag’s sale will benefit a charity or NGO of the artist’s choice, ranging from UNICEF and Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) to the Public Art Fund in New York and the United Negro College Fund. Estimates range from €16,000 to €24,000 ($17,500–$26,300).
Artycapucines bag by artist Gregor Hildebrandt. Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
Each bag in the auction is a collaboration between the artists and the house’s savoir faire, the result of deep research into materials and artisanal techniques to help realize the artists’ creative visions. The Artycapucines collection continues Louis Vuitton’s close relationship with the art world that began nearly a century ago, when the grandson of the house’s founder commissioned artists to create one-of-a-kind store windows for his boutiques.
Artycapucines bag by artist Amélie Bertrand. Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
Designs range from Amélie Bertrand’s sunset-hued fantasia to Daniel Buren’s severe graphic lines to Jean-Michel Othoniel’s raffia baubles and Tschabalala Self’s hand-cut collage deconstruction of the LV logo. Bags by Sam Falls, Urs Fischer, Gregor Hildebrandt, Donna Huanca, Huang Yuxing, Alex Israel, Liu Wei, Peter Marino, Beatriz Milhazes, Vik Muniz, Park Seo-Bo, Paola Pivi, Ugo Rondinone, Josh Smith, Jonas Wood, Kennedy Yanko, Zeng Fanzhi, and Zhao Zhao round out the mix.
Artycapucines bag by artist Tschabalala Self. Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
