In 1987, an amusement park appeared in Hamburg, Germany. Luna Lunahad all the hallmarks of a traditional fairground, featuring carousels, games, and walk-in attractions. However, it held a second purpose as an especially ambitious art exhibition. Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life. I think we’re actually built better than any other resource to make this a reality,” Gonzales told NYT. “We exist in live events, we exist in culture, we understand the art world and being artist-friendly.”

ANDRÉ HELLER, born in 1947 in Vienna, is a critically acclaimed international multimedia artist. His oeuvre is extensive and ranges from garden artworks, chambers of wonder, best selling books, large-scale flying and floating sculptures, a platinum selling career as a singer and songwriter, to the avant-garde amusement park Luna Luna. On top of directing innovative shows, theatre plays, circuses, films and operas he has also designed fire spectacles, labyrinths, and museums. Luna Luna, which also featured interactive installations, games, and artist performances, was born from Heller’s belief that “art should come in unconventional guises and be brought to those who might not ordinarily seek it out in more predictable settings.” There are 30 pavilions in this international carnival of the avant-garde, and each one simultaneously elevates the mind and makes the jaw drop,” a 1987 Life magazine article wrote. The art park was the brainchild of Vienna-born multimedia artist André Heller, the culmination of his yearslong odyssey to bring together the public and the avant-garde art world. But the lights went out—suddenly and unexpectedly—on Luna Luna. A performer dressed as the moon interacts with visitors outside the pavilion that American Pop Art icon Roy Lichtenstein covered with his “Perfect/Imperfect Paintings.” Sabina Sarnitz, courtesy Luna Luna LLC In 1987, Heller released book Luna Luna, published by Wilhelm Heyne Verlag in Munich, which features all of the attractions. For the book cover, Heller asked the participating artists to draw a moon and add a sentence they found fitting. [3]

In 2007, Luna Luna’s pieces moved to a storage unit in rural Texas. Goldberg stumbled upon its story in 2019. At the same time, Heller had been toying with a relaunch, encouraged by Basquiat scholar Dieter Buchhart.

Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth A landmark book documenting the first-ever art amusement park – launched in 1987 in Hamburg, Germany – in anticipation of its global reintroduction Roy Lichtenstein for Luna Luna. A new book shares, for the first time, the original text translated into English, as well as documentary photography, as a way to reintroduce the landmark event. All images by Sabina Sarnitz. My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Phaidon. Related Articles: a b c d e f g h " "Zur höheren Ehre der Phantasie" ". Der Spiegel (in German). May 3, 1987 . Retrieved 2021-05-12.DreamCrew partner Anthony Gonzales now serves as chief executive at Luna Luna, overseeing the restoration of its historical components (which are now too fragile to ride), alongside the creation of new rides, interactive experiences, dining, music events, and educational programming. A curatorial team, its members hailing from the Tate Modern, Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Shed, will pitch in under lead advisor and art historian Helen Molesworth. Named after Luna Park in Coney Island, Luna Luna was an international collaboration involving the biggest titans in contemporary art, from Salvador Dalí to Roy Lichtenstein. It was a contemporary showcase of art and music as well as a functioning amusement park. Its unique place in art history has finally been rediscovered. Luna Luna: The Art Amusement Park is a handsome coffee-table book, serving as both an introduction and a retrospective. Luna Luna: The Art Amusement Park by André Heller. Gruen, John (1992). Keith Haring: The Authorized Biography. Simon and Schuster. p.175. ISBN 978-0-671-78150-7. Alongside majority holder DreamCrew, new Luna Luna partners include art attorney Daniel McClean, Something Special Studios founder Michael Goldberg, and tech entrepreneur Justin Wills. The team is restoring Luna Luna’s rides and adding entirely new attractions, all in preparation for the carnival’s first American tour next fall. A global jaunt will follow in 2024.

This multicolored entrance archway to the park was designed by Ukrainian-born artist Sonia Delaunay shortly before her death. The painter may not be as famous as some of the other Luna Luna artists, but in 1964, the Louvre’s retrospective of her work was the first ever held at the museum for a living female artist. Sabina Sarnitz, courtesy Luna Luna LLC Embark on a rare visual journey that meticulously documents the works through the artists’ processes and their original sketches ... Break out your spandex, leg warmers, and neon big hair accessories, and join Phaidon on this whimsical visual ride.' – Forbes Luna Luna was only displayed once at the Moorweide in Hamburg from June 4 to August 31, 1987. [11] The entry fee was 20 Deutsche Marks (children free on weekdays). [5] The exhibition had been expected to travel to the Netherlands later in 1987 and then the United States in 1988. [7] In 1991, it was reported that Luna Luna, described as an outdoor contemporary art museum, would be temporarily installed at Balboa Park's Inspiration Point in San Diego, California. [4] It was scheduled to be in San Diego for 18 months as a gift from the Stephen and Mary Birch Foundation, based in Wilmington, Delaware. [4] Ensuing litigation due to a claimed breach of contract prevented Luna Luna from being exhibited. [12] [13] Visitors could get a little lost inside Salvador Dalí’s mirrored fun house and spin around on a Keith Haring carousel. They could take in the view from atop a dazzling Jean-Michel Basquiat Ferris wheel while listening to Miles Davis. They might’ve gazed up at wandering stilt walkers, been trapped in an invisible box with a mime, or perhaps even met the man in the moon (a David Bowie-esque character wearing a handmade four-foot-tall crescent moon). As of November 2022, the original Luna Luna works are being restored and new works being commissioned for a global tour funded by DreamCrew. [2] History [ edit ]As a tribute to Joseph Beuys, who died in January 1986, Heller had a manifesto drawn up that the artist had authorized a few years prior. [5] Heller also contributed some works. In addition to the "wedding pavilion" and a "head-through-the-wall booth," he had a blue-red "dream station" built as a coffee house. [5] Reportedly, Andy Warhol also wanted to take part, but other American artists objected. [5] Warhol, who died in February 1987, was memorialized with a booth where visitors were allowed—based on Warhol's credo 15 minutes of fame—to be photographed next to life-size pictures of Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe or Marlene Dietrich. [5]