From Louis Vuitton to Palm Springs Artwork Museum Chief Curator

A global artwork and structure knowledgeable from Louis Vuitton, now at Palm Springs Artwork Museum, guarantees to deliver new buzz to the California desert group that has lengthy been a vacation spot for Hollywood, style and design lovers.

Louis Vuitton’s former world director of artwork, tradition and heritage Christine Vendredi joined the museum in April as chief curator, bringing together with her 12 years of expertise working in Paris with Fondation Louis Vuitton director Suzanne Web page; chairman and chief government officer of Louis Vuitton Style Group Michael Burke; designers Virgil Abloh and Nicolas Ghesquière, and others, together with brainstorming architecturally important places for the model’s vacation spot cruise exhibits.

At LV, Vendredi managed the company artwork assortment displayed in 475 shops, and oversaw artwork commissions and programming at Louis Vuitton artwork areas world wide, together with the Espace Louis Vuitton in Tokyo the place she was director for 4 years, giving her a novel vantage level on the Pacific Rim.

The curator and scholar holds PhDs in each artwork and structure, which is a significant focus of Palm Springs Artwork Museum. It not too long ago added The Aluminaire Home designed by A. Lawrence Kocher and Albert Frey to its downtown campus.

Trendy structure first lured her to the desert group, throughout a analysis journey for Louis Vuitton’s 2016 cruise present, held on the John Lautner-designed Bob Hope Home.

Burke had been wanting to verify Ghesquière’s cruise exhibits could be memorable, not just for the garments however the dialog between the garments and the situation, and requested the group to brainstorm locations in step with the designer’s sci-fi and outer area sensibilities. Vendredi steered Lautner, and really had a ebook on her desk concerning the world-famous Palm Springs architect, who designed a variety of properties and notable native landmarks akin to Palm Springs Metropolis Corridor and the Aerial Tramway Valley Station with John Porter Clark.

“My first expertise with Palm Springs occurred within the preparation of that style present which was not my job in any respect,” says Vendredi, explaining that Louis Vuitton largely retains the cultural and business sides of the group separate however that she did lend her experience and contacts to some initiatives.

“I received the bug and returned…and received increasingly into California,” she says, mentioning the evolving artwork, music, meals, style and leisure scenes as attracts. “California has an unimaginable tender energy footprint not solely in avenue type, however in all of the inventive dimensions. That is what brings me right here.”

WWD visited the curator at her new workplace, the place she was nonetheless ready for her packing containers to reach, to debate her imaginative and prescient for the museum, and what abilities she can be bringing from her previous job to her new one.

Opened in 1958, Palm Springs Artwork Museum has greater than 16,000 items, “and rising,” Vendredi says by means of explaining the advertising spin she picked up at Louis Vuitton. The museum’s assortment has an emphasis on modern artwork, Western artwork, sculpture, studio artwork glass and structure, together with the Structure and Design Heart that has been financially supported by dressmaker Trina Turk, amongst others.

Lately the museum has hosted a variety of notable exhibitions of labor by Frey, by designer and architect Alexander Girard, by transcendental artist Agnes Pelton and by California painter Wayne Thiebaud.

“I knew the museum as a result of every time I’ve been touring right here, I’ve visited, and I nonetheless keep in mind the Alexander Girard present…the Helen Frankenthaler and the [Robert] Longo exhibits…so I had the reminiscence of some nice visits,” she says. “And that is artwork and structure and also you don’t have many museums like that, so certainly, I had the suitable background for it. And I even have carried out an MFA in glass in Prague…and we have now fairly a considerable glass assortment. I solely realized about that within the interview course of.”

Vendredi additionally fell in love with the structure of the museum’s three satellite tv for pc buildings, “which are literally documenting completely different phases of the Worldwide type,” she says. “You’ve received the Aluminaire Home which is Worldwide type from Paris to Palm Springs. Then you will have the Structure and Design constructing from 1961 [designed by E. Stewart Williams as the Santa Fe Federal Savings and Loan], which can also be Worldwide type with little or no adaptation to the land. Then you will have the Frey Home II, which is desert structure,” she says of Frey’s 1964 house, a glass and metal body construction perched on a hillside and incorporating a boulder into the design.

Nonetheless within the technique of searching for her own residence, Vendredi truly received to remain at Frey Home II for a few weeks. “It was unimaginable, however on the identical time I used to be completely wired as a result of being in command of this assortment, you don’t wish to break it,” she says of taking part in it protected and spending most of her time sitting outdoors moderately than threat messing up the couch cushions.

Vendredi’s imaginative and prescient is to make the museum extra inclusive of native communities, together with LGBTQIA+ and Latinx, in addition to to look east for curatorial concepts.

“It’s actually necessary that we assist California and American artwork…but additionally the connection between America and the Pacific. I’m a great candidate due to the connection I’ve with Japan, but additionally as a result of throughout my tenure at Louis Vuitton I’ve been very a lot working with Korea and China, Australia as properly.”

“Christine has such a deep experience in artwork, fashionable structure and glass — all disciplines that maintain widespread curiosity in our group,” says Adam Lerner, JoAnn McGrath government director of Palm Springs Artwork Museum. “It virtually appeared too good to be true that Christine checked each field on our wishlist. We’re thrilled for Christine to guide the curatorial imaginative and prescient of the museum.”

Though museum growth is just not her function, her contacts within the luxurious style world can also’t harm. “And my associates aren’t solely at LV, some are at Gucci, Prada and Richemont,” she says.

In addition to potential {dollars}, Vendredi brings experience in positioning and communications realized at LVMH.

“We had a saying that if you know the way to do one thing however don’t talk it, it’s a loss,” she says, including of her expertise on the luxurious big, “We’ve got the savoir faire and the faire savoir. And all of that goes hand handy. So for me when pondering of programming, I’m additionally pondering how it will likely be promoted and the way it will likely be obtained.”

Her first undertaking can be to rehang the museum’s fashionable and modern galleries. “The gathering may be very wealthy in Op Artwork,” she says throughout a tour of the everlasting assortment, declaring an acrylic aluminum piece with a rippling coloration impact by Israeli artist Yaacov Agam.

“I additionally love Lita Albuquerque,” she says, motioning to a glowing piece by the modern L.A. artist referred to as “Sentient Photo voltaic Vapor.” “She’s one of many nice SoCal artists who has been underneath the radar.”

Strolling (in Martin Margiela Tabi footwear) into one other room, she gestures at a bit by native Cahuilla Band of Mission Indians artist Gerald Clark, “Continuum Basket: Pivaat,” product of beer and soda cans in a basket form mounted on a wall.

“What I’d love to do is deliver into the identical area issues occurring on the identical time however in several fields. I’m curious about bringing some design items and structure associated items in conjunction to what we historically cling,” she says.

And style, maybe? The museum has solely dabbled in it to date, via exhibits on textiles and footwear. “However not something like a retrospective of Nicolas Ghesquière,” Vendredi says wistfully. “He does personal a John Lautner home in L.A.…”