FRENCH artist Jeanne Detallante brings a distinctive and generous perspective to her work. After studying visual communication at Paris’ Duperré School of Applied Arts, a move to New York and a chance meeting with photographer Steven Meisel launched her career.
Fast forward, and now based in Brussels, her creative work spans media, publishing, and fashion, from collaborations with Prada to illustrating a graphic novel on Joan Baez, she now adds a travel book for Louis Vuitton to her projects.
Louis Vuitton Travel Book – Milan
Having lived in several countries, she saw Italy as the natural choice for her Travel Book. After all, she has family roots in Fiorano Canavese near Turin, and Milan, once just a city she had passed through, soon drew her in with its fashion, design, finance, and art.
She fell for the city’s light and energy, which can be seen in her book; rather than capturing postcard scenes, she focused on subtle moments like shadows on concrete and the quiet elegance of Milanese courtyards.
Louis Vuitton Travel Book – Milan
Louis Vuitton Travel Book – Milan
Her sketchbook reflects this attention to detail, from the tapestry motif to the lettering of a sign, and the presence of Marino Marini’s sculptures at the Museo del Novecento, they nod to the city’s atmosphere.
She wanted Milan to feel alive, and trusting her intuition, she played with forms and styles, blending techniques in a deliberately loose, joyful way, her paper cut-outs add to the sense of layered perspective. “Milan feels like grids opening onto courtyards and doorways. There’s a constant reframing. We always want to know what’s being concealed,” says Jeanne.
Louis Vuitton Travel Book – Milan
Louis Vuitton Travel Book – Milan
Her work draws on Giorgio de Chirico’s metaphysics, Giorgio Morandi’s soft light, and the bold designs of Gio Ponti and Ettore Sottsass. Using a mix of mediums, cueing felt pen, charcoal, and pencil, her artwork nods to comic-style frames inspired by 1980s fumetti.
This reflects her deep, intuitive connection to Italy, embracing visual accidents, shifting styles, and the tension between the familiar and the strange. The result? A book that captures the essence of Milan in all its beautiful facets.
by Felicity Carter
The Milan Travel Book is available in two formats, a standard edition and a large-format collector’s edition, in trilingual French English-Italian versions, printed in six colours with a silk-screen printed hardback cover. It also comes in a limited edition of 30 copies, available exclusively in selected Louis Vuitton stores, each one is numbered and signed by the artist.
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