To commemorate its February 2021 opening, Espace Louis Vuitton Osaka will be showcasing the works of two of America's most iconic artists: Joan Mitchell, who began her career as a painter in the 1950s and became a pioneer of post-World War II Abstract Expressionism, and Carl Andre, the sculptor who spearheaded the Minimal Art movement in the early 1970s. We are currently holding the exhibition "A Landscape (Fragments of a Landscape)." This exhibition is part of the "Hors-les-murs (Beyond the Walls)" program, which introduces previously unseen works from the Fondation Louis Vuitton collection at Espace Louis Vuitton locations around the world. With exhibitions in Tokyo, Venice, Munich, Beijing, Seoul, and now Osaka, the international project aims to provide a wider audience with the opportunity to experience the collection.

Joan Mitchell (1925-1992) studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago before moving to France in 1948 and staying in Paris until 1949. After returning to her base in New York, she participated in the activities of "The Club" (also known as the "8th Street Club"), an artists' gathering place founded by Conrad Malca-Lehri, Willem de Kooning, and Franz Kline. Two years after her acclaimed solo exhibition at the Stable Gallery in 1953, Mitchell divided her time between New York and Paris, where she cultivated close ties with North American artists such as Shirley Jaffe, Sam Francis, Norman Bloom, Saul Steinberg, and Jean-Paul Riopelle. In 1969, she moved to Vétheuil, the former home of Claude Monet, and began to express her passion for light through rich colors. Her style, characterized by fragmented, colored surfaces, led to her being considered an "Abstract Impressionist." However, this label erased the dynamic opposition that underpinned her work: the clash between her desire to faithfully represent nature and the subjective, intense power of expression inspired by her idol, Van Gogh. From 1972 onward, Mitchell began working on large-scale paintings. The distinctive structure of her works allowed her distinctive, sensual use of color to flourish. At the height of her artistic talent in the early 1980s, Mitchell clearly returned to landscape painting, as evidenced by works such as "Untitled" (1979) and "Cypress" (1980), both of which are included in this exhibition. The abstract "motifs" of her later works, featuring alternating light and color, demonstrate the increasing freedom of her brushwork.

Born and raised in a construction-related environment, Carl Andre (1935-) favored working with basic materials, which may be seen as a reaction to the Abstract Expressionism practiced by the previous generation. Influenced by the American painter Frank Stella, Andre developed his own unique style, characterized by a love of the material itself, a rigorous approach to work, and a rejection of symbolism. From an early age, Andre attempted to bring about fundamental changes in sculpture, emphasizing the relationship with the floor or ground and employing direct carving techniques. Believing that materials are more interesting in their raw state than when carved, André eventually abandoned altering his materials altogether, choosing to work with raw materials such as bricks, logs, pre-cut concrete blocks, and metal sheets. His creative principles are the equivalence of form, structure, and place. According to André, his works are inextricably linked to their surroundings, have no inherent meaning, and bear no trace of the artist's intervention.
One of his most famous works is a thin metal sheet placed on the ground, intended to subvert the sacredness of artworks by inviting people to walk on it. It asserts that, like all objects, artworks can and should wear out. The piece featured in this exhibition, "Draco" (1979-2008), is a piece constructed from Western red cedar. Its central placement disrupts visitor movement and emphasizes the structure of the exhibition space.

Presenting these two artists side by side illuminates two seemingly opposing artistic trends: the free expression of vibrant color and the profound geometric rigor of raw materials. Their shared approach to the fundamentals creates tension around the work and between it and the space.

Saturday, May 1, 2021 - Two new works by Joan Mitchell, Minnesota (1980) and South (1989), further enrich the exhibition.

Showing for the first time at Espace Louis Vuitton Osaka, these two landscapes, created in the 1980s and painted in Mitchell's final years, ultimately weave a sophisticated ensemble, testifying to the maturity of her work.

《MINNESOTA》Joan Mitchell 1980 Oil on canvas (quatrain) 260.4 x 621.7 cm Installation view at Espace Louis Vuitton Osaka (2021)
Courtesy of Fondation Louis Vuitton
Photo credits: © Keizo Kioku/Louis Vuitton
SOUTH, Joan Mitchell, 1989, oil on canvas (diptych), 260.1 x 400.1 cm. Installation view at Espace Louis Vuitton Osaka (2021). Courtesy of Fondation Louis Vuitton. Photo credits: © Keizo Kioku/Louis Vuitton. />

About Fondation Louis Vuitton
The Fondation Louis Vuitton is an arts institution dedicated to contemporary art and artists, as well as to significant 20th-century works that have inspired contemporary artists. The Fondation aims to reach a wide audience through its collection and the exhibitions it hosts. Designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, the building is already recognized as an iconic 21st-century structure and embodies the Foundation's unique approach to the development of the arts. Since its opening in October 2014, the Foundation has welcomed more than six million visitors from France and around the world.

The Fondation Louis Vuitton has a strong commitment to international collaboration, both in its own programs and through partnerships with private and public institutions, including other foundations and museums. These include the Pushkin Museum in Moscow and the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg ("Icons of Modern Art: The Shchukin Collection"), the Museum of Modern Art in New York ("Being Modern: MoMA in Paris"), and the Courtauld Gallery in London ("The Courtauld Collection. A Vision for Impressionism"). The Foundation also provides artistic direction for the "Hors-les-murs" (Beyond the Walls) program, which aims to present the collection in Tokyo, Venice, Munich, Beijing, Seoul and the newly opened Espace Louis Vuitton in Osaka. The exhibitions in these spaces are free to the public and the Foundation promotes its activities through various related cultural communications.

Espace Louis Vuitton Osaka
542-0085
2-8-16 Shinsaibashisuji, Chuo-ku, Osaka
Louis Vuitton Maison Osaka Midosuji, 5F

For inquiries:
T 0120 00 1854
espace_osaka.jp@louisvuitton.com

"Fragments of a landscape" Exhibition
Period: Now on - Sunday, July 4, 2021
Opening hours: 12:00-20:00
Closed on the same days as Louis Vuitton Maison Osaka Midosuji.
For further details, please visit the Espace Louis Vuitton website below.
https://www.espacelouisvuittontokyo.com/
Free admission
No reservations required
You may have to wait to enter to avoid overcrowding inside the venue.

#EspaceLV
#CollectionFLV
#FondationLV

(Top image credit)
FRAGMENTS OF A LANDSCAPE
Installation view at Espace Louis Vuitton Osaka (2021)
Carl Andre
"Draco", 1979-2008, Western red cedar
Series of 23 pieces (30 x 91 x 30 cm each)
Courtesy of the artist and Fondation Louis Vuitton
Joan Mitchell
"Untitled", 1979, oil on canvas (triptych) 194.9 x 389.9 cm
"Cypress", 1980, oil on canvas (diptych 220.3 x 360.7 cm) cm
"Minnesota" 1980, oil on canvas (quad) 260.4 x 621.7 cm
"South" 1989, oil on canvas (diptych) 260.1 x 400.1 cm
Courtesy of Fondation Louis Vuitton
Photo credits: © Keizo Kioku / Louis Vuitton



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