NEW YORK.- The latest work by the internationally renowned artist Olafur Eliasson, Eye See You, was unveiled at Louis Vuitton Fifth Avenue, the company’s New York flagship, on Thursday 9th November 2006. Commissioned by Louis Vuitton, Eye See You will form the centerpiece of the Christmas windows for all Louis Vuitton stores, of which there are more than 350 worldwide. The work takes the form of a lamp, shaped like the pupil of an eye, which produces a monochromatic yellow light, almost like a sun. In addition, a new large-scale work by the artist, entitled You See Me, will go on permanent display at Louis Vuitton Fifth Avenue. Both Eye See You and You See Me revisit Eliasson’s favoured theme of the nature and meaning of experience, in this case through visual perception.

All fees from the project will be donated to 121Ethiopia.org, a charitable foundation recently established by Olafur Eliasson and his wife. The foundation aims to support a series of relief initiatives in Ethiopia, starting with the renovation of the state-run Ketchene orphanage in Addis Ababa. A limited number of the Eye See You artworks will also be sold at the launch in New York, with proceeds going to the charity. Eye See You represents a further development in the relationship between the artist and Louis Vuitton, and follows on from the project Your Loss of Senses, which Eliasson designed for the reopening of Louis Vuitton’s Champs-Elysées House in October 2005.

Yves Carcelle, Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton Malletier, commented: “We are delighted to be continuing our relationship with Olafur, not only on an artistic, but also on a personal level. This new project has brought an added dimension to our relationship by giving Louis Vuitton, which has consistently taken a lead on issues of corporate social responsibility, the opportunity to help Olafur in promoting a cause that is understandably very close to his heart.”