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.
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’s his explanation for the graffiti, anyway. It’s the same reason why he’s still putting his stamp on trains today.
In 2024, JR debuted “L’Observatoire,” a radical renovation of an early 1900s train 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).
Already well-established as one of the most luxurious rides in the world, 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 “an apartment on wheels,” said JR in a recent interview.
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.
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