Three bags full ... L-R: Pap fleur bag, Eye bag, Blossom bag, by Takashi Murakami for Louis Vuitton
Weekends used to be simple - you'd go to shops to buy things, and art galleries to look at pictures. Now, art galleries and shops are coming together to confuse Saturday afternoons no end - with several stores erecting galleries within, to use art parlance, their space.
Overseas concept stores like Milan's 10 Corso Como and Paris' Colette have been doing this for a while. 10 Corso Como's owner Carla Sozzani houses her eponymous art gallery within the labyrinthian store while Colette is currently hosting a Disneyland-themed exhibition by Martin Parr. And so vice versa: Takashi Murakami's current exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum of Art comes complete with a Louis Vuitton shop selling Murakami-print handbags.
Now some London stores are realising the potential. As a fashion and art lover, I'm not sure what to think of this trend - is it the latest nod to the commercialisation of art, or just a great way to multitask your cultural activities? Like a good retail junkie, I've come to the conclusion that it depends where you shop.
Some stores have seen this trend as a pretty way to make their product look good. Mulberry opened their in-store art space in March with an exhibition of exquisitely-detailed paper cut-outs by new artist Gethin Moller that were lovely, but also happened to include pieces using Mulberry's print ads. May's exhibition by florists McQueens saw leather goods displayed artfully on in-store trees. Lee Jeans meanwhile, had pictures by rediscovered 60s photographer Hoppy Hopkins decorating their store. They're now available to buy in a Lee-published book or in the shape of the Hopkins-inspired autumn/winter Gold Label collection.
Others have seen it as way to sell more product - whether that's Balenciaga bags or YBA-created designs. The Matches store in Marylebone store hosts an exhibition by YBA-tagged artist Abigail Lane from next week. Themed around the circus and titled "For Your Pleasure", customers will be treated to a big top theme (with images featuring acrobats and tigers) while shopping. If they're in the market for some homewares with their designer clothes, there are limited edition Abigail Lane elephant plates, cushions and even a lion table. Oh, and the artwork is for sale too.
And then there's Topshop. On June 10, a collaboration with the Helmut Newton Foundation begins. Topshop might belong to the retail giant Arcadia, but I have to admit the store is being remarkably non-commercial with this hook-up. There are no Newton-themed products (save the limited edition Newton-themed bag), they're simply sharing the photographer's work with a new audience. It's enough to warm my bargain-hunting heart.
The showpiece comes in the shape of the Newton Machine. A studio set-up that Newton put together in the early 70s, and recreated for Topshop, it features mirrors, a strobe light and a timing mechanism, all designed for the sitter to take the perfect self-portrait. This version even has makeup by Nars and a rail of Topshop clothes to play dress up - ideal for the teenage egos hanging out in the Oxford Street store. And with the participants' pictures available on a photowall in-store and online, I see this as an art project in itself, looking at teenage Britain in all her guises. Shopping spaces can not only display and sell art - they can turn into it too.
