Luna Luna (1987 exhibition)

Art project and amusement park by André Heller

For the German folk rock band, see Luna Luna.

Luna Luna was an open-air museum and amusement park in Hamburg, West Germany that ran from June 4 to August 31, 1987; it was rediscovered and relaunched as a touring exhibition in 2023. Curated by Austrian artist André Heller, it was an attempt to "create a travelling terrain of modern art, that in the centuries-old principle of the fairground involves people of all ages and educational levels in playful acts".[1] Heller commissioned around 30 contemporary artists to design the attractions, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, Salvador Dalí, David Hockney, Kenny Scharf, Roland Topor, Jean Tinguely, and Sonia Delaunay. After decades in storage, the works were restored and new works were commissioned for Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy, which embarked on a global tour in 2023 with funding from DreamCrew.

## Formation

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In the mid-1980s, André Heller began to recruit artists for his project Luna Luna, an amusement park designed by the "most important artists of the period".[2] Heller received a $500,000 grant from the magazine Neue Revue.[3] Heller turned down an offer from McDonald's to buy into the project, saying "we don't want to set up a Disneyland".[4] He collaborated with 32 artists for a project that was described by Life magazine as the "most dizzying, dazzling art show on Earth".[5][3] Heller paid the artists $10,000 each, stating that the reason why all those renowned artists participated for so little money was because he told them: "Listen, you are constantly getting the greatest commissions, everyone wants your paintings or sculptures, but I am inviting you to take a trip back to your own childhood. You can design your very own amusement park, just as you think would be right today, and really without exception everyone answered by saying, sure, that's a nice pleasant challenge."[2]

While some of the artists traveled to West Germany for the project, others sent their designs to Vienna, where a specialist team of technicians and theater painters, carpenters and architects carried out the work.[4] There were around 30 attractions, which included a walk-in "shadow room" by Georg Baselitz, a musical "enchanted tree" by David Hockney, and boldly colored glass labyrinth by Roy Lichtenstein.[3][6] Keith Haring designed a carousel, with the seats in the shape of cartoon characters, and painted the whole thing with his icons and symbols.[7] Jean-Michel Basquiat designed a Ferris wheel composed of his various drawings, which prominently featured the rear-end of a baboon.[8] Kenny Scharf created six comic sculptures and painted more than 100 individual pictures in a Viennese workshop, which were mounted around a brightly colored swing carousel.[4][9] Other attractions included a Sonia Delaunay-designed entrance gate, Salvador Dalí's "reflective pavilion" and a hand painted circus wagon by August Walla.[9] Each attraction had its own individual music. Philip Glass composed the music for Lichtenstein's glass labyrinth. Karajan recorded a CD with the Berlin Philharmonic for Hockney's room. Basquiat chose the album Tutu by Miles Davis.[8]

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.[4] 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.[4] Reportedly, Andy Warhol also wanted to take part, but other American artists objected.[4] 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.[4]

In 1987, Heller released the 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.[2]

In 2023, the book was re-released by Phaidon in its first English translation, titled Luna Luna: The Art Amusement Park, with an updated preface by Heller.[10][11]

## Exhibition venues

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Luna Luna was only displayed once at the Moorweide in Hamburg from June 4 to August 31, 1987.[12] The entry fee was 20 Deutsche Marks (children free on weekdays).[4] The attendance was 300,000 in three months.[13]

The exhibition had been expected to travel to the Netherlands later in 1987 and then the United States in 1988.[6] In 1991, Luna Luna, was to be temporarily installed at Balboa Park's Inspiration Point in San Diego, California.[3] The eighteen month-long run was to be a gift from the Stephen and Mary Birch Foundation, based in Wilmington, Delaware.[3] Ensuing litigation due to a claimed breach of contract prevented Luna Luna from being exhibited.[14][15] The entire exhibit was packed into 44 shipping containers and stored on a desert ranch in Texas.[16]

In 2022, Luna Luna was revived for a global tour by Canadian rapper Drake and his entertainment firm DreamCrew with production assistance from Live Nation.[17] The show, Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy, includes original rides, games, and attractions.[18] About half of the 30 attractions designed by the original artists were displayed.[19] The original rides could not be ridden due to modern safety concerns.[20] Several of the displays available for viewing during the latest staging of the show required an additional entry fee for access.[21]

The revived exhibition opened in December 2023 and ran through spring 2024 in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles within a warehouse space.[22] From November 20, 2024 through March 16, 2025,[23] 13 displays from the exhibition have been installed in The Shed at Hudson Yards in Manhattan, New York City.[24][13]

## References

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1. ^ Buchhart 2016, p. 13.
2. ^ a b c Buchhart 2016, p. 7.
3. ^ a b c d e Ollman, Leah (July 31, 1991). "Art Commentary: S.D. Appears Sure to Land 'Luna Luna': Exhibit: The coveted 'outdoor museum,' which includes works by Roy Lichtenstein and David Hockney, is nearly certain to begin its U.S. tour in Balboa Park. The only drawback? Plans to charge admission". Los Angeles Times.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h ""Zur höheren Ehre der Phantasie"". Der Spiegel (in German). May 3, 1987. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
5. ^ Mednick, Amy (October 14, 1987). "Jellyfish and Teapot Join 6-Eyed Moon for Fly-Over of Anaheim". Los Angeles Times.
6. ^ a b Yarrow, Andrew L. (August 8, 1987). "A Bird? A Plane? Flying Art!". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
7. ^ Gruen, John (1992). Keith Haring: The Authorized Biography. Simon and Schuster. p. 175\. ISBN 978-0-671-78150-7.
8. ^ a b Buchhart 2016, p. 9.
9. ^ a b Mugrabi, Colby (October 30, 2018). "Luna Luna". Minnie Muse. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
10. ^ Stewart, Jessica (April 8, 2023). "Book Tells the Story of a Forgotten Art Amusement Park With Work by Legendary Artists". My Modern Met. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
11. ^ "Luna Luna: The Art Amusement Park". Phaidon. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
12. ^ "Keith Haring, Luna Luna Karussell (A Poetic Extravaganza!) 1986". www.auction.fr. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
13. ^ a b Yerebakan, Osman Can (November 22, 2024). "Inside Luna Luna: the amusement park designed by artists lands in New York". Wallpaper. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
14. ^ "Admart SG v. Stephen and Mary Birch Foundation Inc". Findlaw. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
15. ^ "Arbitration: Third Circuit Backs District Court in Modifying an International Award (Web) | CPR International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution". CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution. September 14, 2006. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
16. ^ del Barco, Mandalit (March 14, 2024). "Luna Luna". NPR News. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
17. ^ Coscarelli, Joe (November 17, 2022). "How Drake's $100 Million Bet Saved the Long-Lost Art Carnival Luna Luna". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
18. ^ Dubois, Lila. "Drake-rebooted art amusement park sets launch date". The Fader. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
19. ^ Binswanger, Julia (December 6, 2023). "When Keith Haring, Salvador Dalí and Jean-Michel Basquiat Created an Art Amusement Park". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
20. ^ Herstik, Lauren (December 19, 2023). "Where the Ferris Wheel Is by Basquiat and the Carousel by Keith Haring". The New York Times. Photographs and Video by Chantal Anderson. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
21. ^ Gabriel, Anne (February 28, 2024). "Luna Luna Is Like A Bait and Switch". The Weekly Footnote. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
22. ^ Martens, Todd (December 1, 2023). "Drake bought a fantastical, forgotten amusement park made by famous artists. It's opening in L.A. this winter". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
23. ^ "Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy". The Shed. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
24. ^ Culgan, Rossilynne Skena (November 19, 2024). "See inside Luna Luna, the can't-miss forgotten art carnival reborn in NYC". Time Out New York. Retrieved December 30, 2024.

## Further reading

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* Heller, André (2023). Luna Luna: The Art Amusement Park. London / New York, NY: Phaidon. ISBN 9781838666941.
* Buchhart, Dieter (2016). Jean-Michel Basquiat (PDF). Translated by Brian Currid. Holzhausen, Austria: W&K - Wienerroither & Kohlbacher, Vienna / New York.
* Heller, André (1987). Luna Luna - ermöglicht von Neue Revue. Photography by Sabina Sarnitz, Essay by Hilde Spiel. Heyne Verlag, Munich. ISBN 978-3453000476