Bernard Arnault presents his latest art acquisition at Cheval Blanc in Paris

STREET ART: Bernard Arnault is one of the world’s largest art collectors, owning works by everyone from Pablo Picasso to Jeff Koons. But his latest acquisition is one that everyone can enjoy.

On Wednesday afternoon, the billionaire visited his Cheval Blanc hotel in Paris to admire a new sculpture by French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel, freshly installed on the facade of the Art Deco building overlooking the Seine.

As if on cue, the rain stopped and the sun’s rays reflected off the metallic flowers in the 20-meter rectangle previously occupied by the Samaritaine department store sign, which occupied the area in front of the luxury group Arnault LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, which undertook a 16-year-old renovation of this place.

The 75-year-old, dressed in a black turtleneck sweater and navy blue jacket, posed for photos outside the hotel alongside Othoniel and Cheval Blanc CEO Olivier Lefebvre.

Arnault, the world’s richest man according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, drew crowds of onlookers as he pulled out his cellphone for a souvenir photo and smiled broadly as he shared his first impressions of Othoniel.

The artist said the piece, titled “Passion Flowers,” was inspired by the floral patterns that adorn the carefully restored Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings that make up the store’s original location, which now shares a prime spot with the exclusive Cheval Blanc estate.

“With this title, I wanted to show the passion for art in this hotel. And not only the hotel, but the entire LVMH group supports artists, so this work clearly reflects its role as a patron of 21st century art,” Othoniel told WWD.

The installation is a teaser of new work that she will show as part of her exhibition at the Sara Hildén Art Museum in Finland, which opens on June 8.

This is Othoniel’s third collaboration with Cheval Blanc, who previously created works for their facilities on the Caribbean island of St. Barths and in the Courchevel ski resort in France.

“In Paris, the hotel is very different from the other two hotels because the works are outside, so it is a work of public art, a gift from the hotel to the city, which is also intended to be visible to all tourists crossing the bridge,” he said. “Paris is a difficult place for art. There are very few works of art in public space, so this is truly unique.”

Despite this, Othoniel’s works can now be admired on the streets of the French capital. It stands behind an ornate glass beaded dome installed in 2000 at the entrance to the Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre metro station.

“I worked with the same craftsmen here,” he said, pointing to a bas-relief depicting flowers cast in metal and gilded with gold leaf, surrounded by Murano glass beads and set around a central element: a horse in shimmering white gold.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to be here, especially right before the Olympics,” Othoniel enthused.

LVMH is a premium partner of the Paris 2024 Games and is investing EUR 150 million in this sporting event. If all goes according to plan, the opening ceremony will take place on the Seine and guests of Cheval Blanc, which boasts floor-to-ceiling windows with spectacular river views, will have the best seats in the city.