For 25 years, the French photographer with the hat and dark glasses has changed the way we look at the world. A “wide angle” vision with fantastic trompe-l’oeil effects.
XXL format photographic collages, the last of which gave rise to a grandiose show at the Paris Opera in the fall, seen by 25,000 people. JR transformed the facade of the Palais Garnier into a gigantic grotto in which 153 dancers performed to music by Thomas Bangalter (ex-Daft Punk).
Read also: The Palais Garnier will restore its facade until the end of 2024
A carriage of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
More intimate, JR’s new creation is no less legendary: he redecorated a carriage of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, a rolling luxury hotel, at the request of its owner, the Belmond group (LVMH). “People know the Orient-Express, but many don’t know that it still runs,” he explained to AFP on the sidelines of the 60e Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art, where this “living work” was revealed.
Read also: The Orient-Express, soon back on track
“Like a message in a bottle”
The dark blue sleeping car, which became legendary thanks in particular to Agatha Christie, traveled aboard a barge on the waters of the City of the Doges lagoon. Decorator of this suite designed for two passengers, which includes a tea room and a library, JR slipped in a few “traces”: glasses, letters or even a camera from the 1920s.
“When we recovered this wagon in Belgium, it was still burned and dented because it had been abandoned for a long time,” he remembers, revealing his fascination with the world of trains, often a Source of his inspiration. JR sees in this means of transport a way of “taking his works on a journey,” “like a message in a bottle”.
In March 2025, it will be possible to travel aboard this wagon, called The Observatory… but the price should also be XXL.
