As if the Château de Versailles wasn’t magical enough already, Coralie Aude Grassin explores Takashi Murakami’s palatial wonderland…
For centuries, Versailles has symbolised French royalty – think Louis XIV with his decadent feasts, Marie-Antoinette and her ladies in splendid gowns and wigs.
Even now, its reputation remains untouched with 70% of the visitors coming from abroad. It is all about the grandeur – even the roofs are decorated with gold leaves, the rooms are magnificent with paintings up to the ceilings, and gardens so huge it takes more than a day to see everything they have to offer (including a farm and rowing on the main canal).
However, the younger generation tends to find it pretty boring and often ignore the site. Versailles started fighting back a few years ago. Too classical a background? Not trendy enough? Better then, to mix both worlds: historical and modern.
Jeff Koons was the first to present his collection – try to imagine his famous balloon dog, giant size, in the gallerie des miroirs! Xavier Veilhan followed last year, with intricate creations, the favourite one being a carriage with horses made with origami like pieces.
This year, the castle is turning to kawai-land. Murakami had already helped Vuitton in the past to show a younger image with his bright and colourful world. His manga style makes it difficult to believe he studied traditional Japanese art for 8 years!
A scholarship gave him the opportunity to go to New York where he discovered the work of Andy Warhol – a turning point in his career. It is easy to see the pop art influence in his latest collection.
So how do these cartoon characters fit in the royal chambers? Amazingly enough, pretty well. The very first room is probably the most impressive with Tongari-Kun at its heart.
The colours have been matched to the surrounding décor and after circling it a few times, it almost feels… natural.
The following 14 rooms present a retrospective of his art. The sizes are more adequate to the rooms. The Alice in Wonderland effect on the visitors is obvious, as if they had stepped in another dimension.
The more you admire them, the more you go further than the flashy side of them and discover a multitude of fun details (the eyes, for examples often are of different colours). Even better, photos are allowed and everyone just want to capture a little memory of the event.
Suddenly, you step in the hall of mirrors – a stunning effect with its crystal chandeliers reflecting to infinity. You can almost hear music, laughs, glasses clinking, as if you could superpose two pictures.
This is the perfect atmosphere for Murakami’s most iconic work, Flower Mantago: a firework of cheerful flowers.
A further room is dedicated to them. Hypnotised, it is not unusual for tourists to sit on this amazing carpet, commenting on its feel-good effect…
Don’t forget to visit the gardens for the perfect finale, with Oval Buddha – the artist represents himself as a manga Sun King. One side for good days, another for rainy ones! He is said to be manic about every single detail of his creations and he is known for his angry storms if the finish is not perfect…
Of course, such an exhibition bring its share of polemics. Like Marmite, some will fall in love with the mix, others will abhor it. At least, everyone gets a chance to discover a new world.
Takashi Murakami at the Château de Versailles runs until 12 December 2010.
Coralie Aude Grassin writes the blog Tea Time in Wonderland.