Louvre
The Louvre is one of the most famous museums in the world. Located on the Right Bank of the Seine in Paris, it is home to some of the most canonical works of Western Art. The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built in the late 12th century. Remnants of the Medieval Louvre fortress are visible in the basement of the museum.
To celebrate the Tuileries, which form an integral part of the Louvre estate, the museum entrusted its historic garden to Luke in the spring of 2025. The result? A collection for the shop at the Louvre containing everything one might need for a pastoral picnic: a wicker basket filled with his plates, cutlery, napkins, a tablecloth and more.
Created by Catherine de' Medici as the garden of the Tuileries Palace in 1564, it was opened to the public in 1667 and became a public park after the French Revolution. Since the 19th century, the Tuileries has been a place for Parisians to celebrate, meet, stroll and relax.
"My inspiration for these drawings and designs came, of course, from the wonderful Tuileries. I spent a day exploring the garden in the autumn of 2024 and afterwards, back in my Oxfordshire studio, I began exploring key themes in response to the elements I felt myself most strongly drawn to during my visit. I knew that I wanted to incorporate several of the garden's most iconic sights into the collection: its toy boats with their colourful sails, and its architectural elements including its urns and statues of Diana and Mercury. I also took inspiration from historic maps and plans of the garden, which I love for their theatrical geometry and intricate patterns."
– Luke Edward Hall
The collection was photographed in Luke's Gloucestershire garden by Jasper Fry.
"For me, the Tuileries is a many layered thing: there is history, beauty, art, romance. I met the curator of the garden during my visit, and her knowledge of and love for the Tuileries was infectious. My collection, I hope, draws upon these various layers - the natural beauty of the garden and its architectural history inspired me, but so did the joy of seeing groups of friends sitting and chatting under trees, and those toy boats being sailed across the Grand Bassin."
– Luke Edward Hall
