LV encourages artists to get REcreative

The label, in partnership with London art institutions including the Whitechapel Gallery, Royal Academy of Arts and Tate Britain, today launched REcreative. It’s a new website where aspiring artists can find audiences for their work, learn how more established creatives built their careers, and follow arts events and exhibitions through exclusive online content.

Users can click their way through channels like ‘Projects’ (where aspiring artists can upload works for evaluation by working artists and critics), ‘What’s On’ and ‘Experts’ (interviews with creative authorities) to discover the stories behind the creations. ‘This is a fantastic opportunity to find out more about contemporary art and get involved,’ says artist Tracey Emin, currently the subject of a major career retrospective at the Hayward Gallery. ‘It would have been amazing to have had this chance when I was that age.’

In a statement, group CEO Yves Carcelle said the initiative was a natural extension of Vuitton’s ‘long-standing’ support for contemporary arts. ‘[W]e see our role in facilitating diverse access to exciting contemporary art projects. We are delighted with the peer-led approach the website is taking and cannot wait to see the innovative projects the young people will be creating in response to what they see and learn through exchange and collaborations made possible through REcreative and the Young Arts Project.’

REcreative isn’t the first digital outlet to invite young artists to upload their work for evaluation—Saatchi has been doing it for years—but it does represent a major crossover for Vuitton. Now, instead of covering handbags with Stephen Sprouse-style scrawls or sending Richard Prince-inspired nurses down the catwalk, the label has positioned itself as an authority and career-maker for developing artists. In return, the brand enhances the aura of artistic legitimacy around its luxury products. And energetic art collector