Ever since Edward Enninful announced he would be leaving the editor-in-chief position at British Vogue to become its editorial adviser as well as the global creative and cultural advisor of Vogue, a role that allowed him the freedom to take on other creative projects, fans of his work have been itching to see what he might take on outside the Condé Nast umbrella.

Today, those questions have been answered. He’s breaking new ground in the art world. Partnering with Musée d’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie, Enninful has curated a selection of remastered Claude Monet works which, in collaboration with Lito Masters, will be made into ultra high-definition signature Hi-Rnd© prints on paper, where the matter, relief and texture of the original piece is all reflected. Available for purchase to a new generation of art collectors, the partnership notably marks the first time the famed Parisian museums have collaborated with a creative leader on artworks currently held in their collections.

Encapsulating everything we have come to expect from Enninful and his boundless mindset centering around inclusivity, curiosity and education, the project aims to make fine art accessible to all, not just those granted access to the art industry’s tightly guarded doors. “I really think we have to give access to as many people as possible,” Enninful explains to 10 over Zoom. “Because sometimes there’s a view of the art world being so elitist or so small, [and the thing to do is] to bring it to everybody, sort of what we did in fashion.” Reflecting his established approach to creativity and collaboration, the project is set to be another significant mark on Enninful’s already considerable legacy.

Enninful’s famed fashion footprint is the stuff of legend, with the stylist working his way up from fashion director at i-D to editor-in-chief at British Vogue before moving to his current position. During his tenure in the corner office at Vogue House, Enninful oversaw a series of monumental firsts for the influential publication. Spotlighting the new vanguard of disabled talents, essential workers at the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic and consistently choosing cover stars of different ages, races and religions, the editor left British Vogue a more inclusive, representative and beloved place than when he started. “When I went to Vogue, I wanted to create a magazine that was culturally relevant. A magazine that people could see themselves in. The beauty of my position now is that I can really explore different projects [and] initiatives on a deeper level, and hopefully, in some small way, move creativity forward.”

The opportunity to remaster works by Monet was particularly special for Enninful, who cites how the French painter’s work has had a significant influence on his time at British Vogue. “ I love the picture of Parliament,” he explains, referencing the 1904 piece that sees a misty sky interrupted only by the shadow of the Houses of Parliament and a warm, speckled sun. “The minute I saw that [I was inspired],” he says, recalling how he first saw Monet’s art in a museum as a teenager. It profoundly moved him, continuously inspiring his creativity for years to come. “I can give you a real, direct connection. In lockdown, I was thinking of how to create covers and I remembered the painting of Parliament and [for the 2021 September Issue] I had the actress Gemma Chan. You can sort of see Parliament in the background. That was directly based on that picture that I love so much. I also remember, halfway through lockdown, we were all at home [and] I remembered the Water Lilies, and [thought] wouldn’t it be amazing to do 14 covers of people just staring at landscapes. It was another direct correlation of my love for Monet and bringing what I loved about his work into my work in contemporary society.”

“It’s about access,” the editor reiterates, before explaining that the starting point for access with a project like this is education. Intending to remind people that, in a world increasingly framed by iPhone screens, tactility can still be exciting and informative, Enninful notes “There’s so much beauty and creativity [in] the physical experience, whether it’s visiting a gallery or having a picture on your wall,” he explains. “Lito is so great because they [can] take a master [like] Monet, [someone who I have] loved since I was a kid and bring it to the public saying, ‘Hey, it’s accessible.’” He later explains, “That was so key for me. [Showing this art to] people who have never been exposed to [the] money [it’s] worth, people who’d seen the work but didn’t know too much about it, people who had a little [bit of] information and wanted to learn more about it. For me, that was what was exciting, to make art less intimidating…I believe that if we can educate ourselves and give ourselves broader access to things that are important in the world, [then we won’t] lose curiosity. We can’t. Curiosity will lead us forward.”

Making art more affordable was another integral part of this puzzle. “I really love the idea of sort of making the price point of art more democratic,” Enninful explains. With the meticulous renders, which feature every detail from the texture of the paint to the depth of the brushstrokes of the real pieces, available for purchase between €400 and €1000, the collaboration is doing just that. Proving you don’t have to be a millionaire to collect art or  have an elitist worldview to appreciate it, the project is redefining what it means to be an art lover, beyond an appreciation for these specific paintings.

Keeping up with changing times is evidently a key aspect of Enninful’s ethos, an element perfectly complimented by the technological advancement showcased by Lito. “I always try to focus on the future in everything I do,” he posits, “and I believe that Lito are modern masters. They have this incredible technology and they can use it to bring art, not just to new generations but also to communities who are not as exposed to the art world as they would like to be. But also, most importantly, when the museum sort of validates technology in that way, it’s quite exciting.” He continues, “I think for the art world, it’s really important. [The Musée d’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie] are so respected in the industry [and to] put such an incredible project in their hands and [for them to] really believe that art should go to everybody [is amazing]. I’m really all about forward looking and I’m not scared of technology. I’m not scared of AI. God knows what AI is going to do to the art world or to all our worlds in the future, but I’m not one of those that shies away from it. I’ll learn as much as I can about it and hopefully use it to good advantage.”

Enninful knows that for anything to grow it needs to be pushed out of it’s comfort zone. “I believe that all creative industries should be able to coexist, and they should be able to inform each other,” he explains. “And that’s really how we make progress in our industries and [with] partnerships like this one. I think it challenges conventional and traditional boundaries of what is and what isn’t [accepted]. You always have to challenge. Someone once said to me, when you go into an institution and they say to you, ‘We don’t do things like this’, you should always ask ‘Why?’. ‘Why’ should be your keyword.”

For someone with Enninful’s vision and tenacity, boundaries don’t exist except for the breaking. Using the remastered works as a means of engaging a wider audience in Monet’s famed catalogue, impressionism and fine art, the project is a microcosm of the editor’s approach to not only work, but to life. Everything is cyclical, with each new stimulus feeding into each other like an ecosystem that can only survive and thrive with all it’s different components growing and working together. Curiosity leads to education which leads to access. Access allows the fresh voices in, which pushes industries to change, adapt and diversify, enabling them to then prick the curiosity of a whole different sector of fresh voices. To not be fearful of the unknown or what other people think is non-negotiable – once you start doing what everyone else is expecting, that’s when things get stagnant. To push forward, this is the only way. And why, oh why, looking at Enninful and his legacy so far, would you want to stay in the same place?

The Monet special edition prints curated by Edward Enninful will be available for purchase from September 5, across the museum shops in Paris or through FarFetch and Lito’s online platforms. Discover more here.

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