JR once tagged trains with graffiti. Now he’s responsible for one of the most luxurious carriages in the world

CNN

By Tom Page and Gisella Deputato, CNN

(CNN) — 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.

“(I was) allowed to do things that you’re not allowed in other carriages,” the artist said with some understatement.

For an artist known for his ephemeral work — pasting supersized photographs on the Louvre’s glass pyramid, or Rio de Janeiro’s favelas — the carriage offered a rare chance of permanence.

“I wanted to create an artwork in itself. That’s what this carriage is,” he said.

JR explained that most of his large-scale artworks involve teams of volunteers, but for “L’Observatoire,” the novice carriage designer turned to specialists from across Europe to realize his sumptuous ideas: hand-painted stained glass by a 500-year-old German company, Carrara marble from Italy, and walls lined with wooden marquetry inlay. “Everything was done with the most attention and care, because it’s there forever,” he said.

“The whole carriage took, I would say, a hundred and something people,” JR said. “Really, at some point we stopped counting.”

“So many artists and artisans came together to build this, to create something that will still be there (for) generations,” he added. “It gives us a kind of hope into the value of beauty.”

Many touches indulge both guest and creator. JR’s initials are etched into the library floor, and a mosaic of the artist’s hand lines the floor of the shower cubicle. JR also filled the carriage with vestiges of his career, from wood panels detailing scenes from previous projects to zinc ceilings nodding to Parisian rooftops (“I spend my life on rooftops,” he explained). Photographs from JR’s travels cover the walls, while scattered among its library are books on his projects, like one on Ellis Island, New York, or a copy of a movie he made with Robert De Niro, about the actor’s artist father.

But perhaps the most intriguing elements are those not on show.

“I’ve hidden many, many things in this carriage that you won’t find on day one,” he said.

JR has laid out an Easter Egg hunt for guests, concealed within secret compartments and panels. The artist’s own Leica camera is somewhere in the carriage, for example. Other hidden features are more experiential: a switch dims the lights and activates a disco ball and hidden speakers — perfect for private parties. “The idea is that there’s a whole journey within the journey,” he explained.

The carriage has been welcoming guests since March, but JR said some of the hidden features remain undiscovered. (A tip: If one sees an empty spot in the carriage, it probably isn’t, he said.)

The artist still visits “L’Observatoire” every now and again when it’s stationary in Gare de L’est, Paris. Sometimes he’ll bring his son and they’ll take tea in the train’s bar car. He says his boy has a particularly strong bond with the carriage. “My son thinks it’s his bedroom,” said JR. “(He’s) five, but he’s seen this being built his whole life.”

Good things take time. Now JR is allowing himself to enjoy his creation. He’s hosted lunches and dinners aboard. He’s also spent hours alone, watching snow drift past the window as the train trundled through Austria. The artist acknowledged that despite his best efforts, the mode of travel, not the trappings, is the true indulgence.

“The real luxury here is not the leather bench and the curtains or whatever — it’s time,” he reflected. “Your time on the train. That’s something we really need.”

Of course, “L’Observatoire” is a luxury few can afford, but “in life we need to have those dreams,” JR insisted. “We need to have those things that, even if you never get to touch them, (you know) they exist.”

“It’s always really moving to come back inside, because I know it’s traveling … all around the world,” he added. “Sometimes I can be on it, but sometimes I’m like everyone else — dreaming about it.”

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