Anachronism seems wrong: it is a violation of the necessary temporal order of things, an informed present that takes advantage of an ignorant past. It can only exist in art, for only in art can the boundaries of time and space be broken down and built back up to create a timeless unity of expression. But it is for this very reason that we are drawn to anachronism; it delights us because it reminds us of the power of the human spirit to reach beyond itself and recognize itself in anything else.
Nicolas Ghesquière taps into this power for his project “Anachronism.” A sort of teaser for Louis Vuitton’s Fall 2020 show, the project explores the same theme of an atemporal beauty, a single idea that manifests itself across many different times. Ghesquière juxtaposes some of the label’s most iconic Monogram bags against painted portraits from the past. The result is a series of images that feel startlingly contemporary and familiar, even though most of what we see is hundreds of years old. The simple modern gesture of holding a handbag makes these renaissance ladies look like people we could see tomorrow, like people we know. But they retain a classical beauty, and so the disparate parts feel elevated into a single, elegant whole.
Simple but brilliant and perfectly executed, the concept furthers Ghesquière’s status as a singular and masterful visionary. He seems to have an instinctual understanding of the entire human history of aesthetics and the ideas behind them, but always uses this understanding to move forward and create something new.
Louis Vuitton Creative Director | Nicolas Ghesquière