CARTE BLANCHE TO ARTIST JR
JR is a well-known photographer, filmmaker and street artist, specializing in monumental, participatory and committed works... Now he's also an interior decorator, and not just in any space: a carriage on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, the legendary train owned by the Belmond hotel group, which links Paris to Venice, Portofino since last year and Tuscany from next spring.
Named L'Observatoire, this first-ever car to be completely customized by an artist is also the train's largest and most prestigious. To stay true to the spirit of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, JR consulted archives and immersed himself in the work of those who built its legend, in particular Art Deco designers René Prou and René Lalique. After three years of close collaboration with the finest French craftsmen (l'Atelier Philippe Allemand for the marquetry, Michael Mayer for the stained-glass windows...), he unveils a global, timeless work, thought through to the smallest detail: a mix between a suite on rails worthy of a palace, an arts and crafts showroom and a cabinet of curiosities full of surprises.
JR chose to cover the room in green scalloped leather and placed a free-standing bathtub just off the bed. Inspired by astronomical observatories, he equipped the ceilings with oculus-shaped skylights to contemplate the passing landscapes. His XXL ceramic hand on the Carrara marble bathroom floor, his original photos along the hallway, the curvaceous furniture he designed for the living room-fireplace, his choice of vinyl and books from Gallimard, Penguin and Adelphi publishing houses, his installation of model trains in the tea-room-speakeasy : everything here evokes the highly personal universe of the protean artist, a train enthusiast since childhood, who confirms: "With L'Observatoire, people can enter my imaginary world. "
