{"id":372993,"date":"2025-12-26T12:40:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T12:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/372993\/"},"modified":"2025-12-26T12:40:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T12:40:16","slug":"jr-once-tagged-trains-with-graffiti-now-hes-responsible-for-one-of-the-most-luxurious-carriages-in-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/372993\/","title":{"rendered":"JR once tagged trains with graffiti. Now he\u2019s responsible for one of the most luxurious carriages in the world"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Once upon a time, artist JR was just another teenage rebel with a spray can, tagging trains in his native Paris. Not big, not clever, but nevertheless a confluence of interests at the start of an illustrious career.\n <\/p>\n

\n The street artist, photographer and Oscar-nominated filmmaker says he has always been a fan of trains. Commuting from the deprived outskirts of Paris into the city as a youngster, he realized he was aboard a moving canvas that could take artworks to places an artist had never been. That\u2019s his explanation for the graffiti, anyway. It\u2019s the same reason why he\u2019s still putting his stamp on trains today.\n <\/p>\n

\n In 2024, JR debuted \u201cL\u2019Observatoire,\u201d a radical renovation of an early 1900s \ufefftrain carriage, at the Venice Art Biennale. The carriage, a private suite commissioned by travel company Belmond, is now the jewel in the crown of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, which runs routes across Europe (the longest of which is between Paris and Istanbul).\n <\/p>\n

\n Already well-established as one of the most luxurious rides in the world<\/a>, the addition has pushed the train to new levels of opulence. Stays in the carriage start at $80,000 for a one-night journey, but for that, guests are booking \u201can apartment on wheels,\u201d said JR in a recent interview.\n <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\n Featuring a bedroom, lounge and private dining area, bathroom, library and tea room, JR was given carte blanche on the redesign of the 23-meter (75-foot) long former sleeping car. In one room, a high-sided bathtub takes pride of place; an electric fireplace is the focal point of the circular library; and in the bedroom a round skylight opens like the aperture blades of a camera lens.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201c(I was) allowed to do things that you\u2019re not allowed in other carriages,\u201d the artist said with some understatement.\n <\/p>\n

\"Seasons<\/p>\n

Europe\u2019s most storied train \u2014 then and now\n <\/p>\n

\"Seasons<\/p>\n

Europe\u2019s most storied train \u2014 then and now<\/p>\n

2:05 <\/p>\n

\n For an artist known for his ephemeral work \u2014 pasting supersized photographs on the Louvre\u2019s glass pyramid, or Rio de Janeiro\u2019s favelas <\/a> \u2014 the carriage offered a rare chance of permanence.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI wanted to create an artwork in itself. That\u2019s what this carriage is,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n

\n JR explained that most of his large-scale artworks involve teams of volunteers, but for \u201cL\u2019Observatoire,\u201d the novice carriage designer turned to specialists from across Europe to realize his sumptuous ideas: hand-painted stained glass by a 500-year-old German company, Carrara marble from Italy, and walls lined with wooden marquetry inlay. \u201cEverything was done with the most attention and care, because it\u2019s there forever,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe whole carriage took, I would say, a hundred and something people,\u201d JR said. \u201cReally, at some point we stopped counting.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cSo many artists and artisans came together to build this, to create something that will still be there (for) generations,\u201d he added. \u201cIt gives us a kind of hope into the value of beauty.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\n Many touches indulge both guest and creator. JR\u2019s initials are etched into the library floor, and a mosaic of the artist\u2019s hand lines the floor of the shower cubicle. JR also filled the carriage with vestiges of his career, from wood panels detailing scenes from previous projects to zinc ceilings nodding to Parisian rooftops (\u201cI spend my life on rooftops,\u201d he explained). Photographs from JR\u2019s travels cover the walls, while scattered among its library are books on his projects, like one on Ellis Island, New York, or a copy of a movie he made with Robert De Niro, about the actor\u2019s artist father.\n <\/p>\n

\n But perhaps the most intriguing elements are those not on show.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI\u2019ve hidden many, many things in this carriage that you won\u2019t find on day one,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n

\n JR has laid out an Easter Egg hunt for guests, concealed within secret compartments and panels. The artist\u2019s own Leica camera is somewhere in the carriage, for example. Other hidden features are more experiential: a switch dims the lights and activates a disco ball and hidden speakers \u2014 perfect for private parties. \u201cThe idea is that there\u2019s a whole journey within the journey,\u201d he explained.\n <\/p>\n

\n The carriage has been welcoming guests since March, but JR said some of the hidden features remain undiscovered. (A tip: If one sees an empty spot in the carriage, it probably isn\u2019t, he said.)\n <\/p>\n

\"JR<\/p>\n

\n The artist still visits \u201cL\u2019Observatoire\u201d every now and again when it\u2019s stationary in Gare de L\u2019est, Paris. Sometimes he\u2019ll bring his son and they\u2019ll take tea in the train\u2019s bar car. He says his boy has a particularly strong bond with the carriage. \u201cMy son thinks it\u2019s his bedroom,\u201d said JR. \u201c(He\u2019s) five, but he\u2019s seen this being built his whole life.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Good things take time. Now JR is allowing himself to enjoy his creation. He\u2019s hosted lunches and dinners aboard. He\u2019s also spent hours alone, watching snow drift past the window as the train trundled through Austria. The artist acknowledged that despite his best efforts, the mode of travel, not the trappings, is the true indulgence.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe real luxury here is not the leather bench and the curtains or whatever \u2014 it\u2019s time,\u201d he reflected. \u201cYour time on the train. That\u2019s something we really need.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Of course, \u201cL\u2019Observatoire\u201d is a luxury few can afford, but \u201cin life we need to have those dreams,\u201d JR insisted. \u201cWe need to have those things that, even if you never get to touch them, (you know) they exist.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt\u2019s always really moving to come back inside, because I know it\u2019s traveling \u2026 all around the world,\u201d he added. \u201cSometimes I can be on it, but sometimes I\u2019m like everyone else \u2014 dreaming about it.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Interview conducted by Laura Jackson.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Once upon a time, artist JR was just another teenage rebel with a spray can, tagging trains in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":372994,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[449,458,459,64,63,460,134],"class_list":{"0":"post-372993","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-design","14":"tag-entertainment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=372993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372993\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/372994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=372993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=372993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=372993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}