Luna Luna was an open-air museum established by Austrian artist André Heller in 1987. Despite boasting a wealth of illustrious names, which also included the likes of David Hockney and Roy Lichtenstein, the event was shut down after just three months – running between 4 June and 31 August 1987.
This came after a number of difficulties experienced by organisers, including a dispute with the city of Vienna and the cancellation of a European tour, much of which Heller outlined in a recent interview with The New York Times.
Heller eventually sold artistic endeavour for $6m (£5m) in 1990 to the Stephen and Mary Birch Foundation but it continued to face legal and logistical challenges.
Salvador Dalí was among the many prestigious names who had their work featured in the Luna Luna art carnival in 1987.
Many of the works, built or designed by the 32 artists who Heller had enlisted for the project, were stored in a park in Texas for 15 years. That is until Drake and his arts and entertainment company DreamCrew became aware of the project.
Drake and his DreamCrew team, along with Something Special Studios, are now preparing to curate the works and push the project on a global tour. The rapper’s investment of $100 million (£84 million) will go a long way to getting that off the ground,
“When I first heard about Luna Luna, I was blown away,” Drake said in a statement. “It’s such a unique and special way to experience art. This is a big idea and opportunity that centres around what we love most: bringing people together.”
A documentary about the restoration of the project is also currently in the works, and Luna Luna is due to open in Los Angeles in late 2023 before a North American and then world tour.
