Prada and Louis Vuitton new patrons of art – shame they're so boring

Fashion houses are pouring money into shiny new art galleries across Europe. It should be explosive, but sadly they’ve left their imaginations on the runway

Fashion houses are the new art patrons of our time. That would be fine, if only they would show the boldness they bring to bags and rags when they collect art. Instead, they follow the rules of the art world, conform to its set taste and dully imitate last year’s look.

This month, the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris unveils a new hang of its contemporary art collection – the third since it opened less than a year ago. Prada has just opened its spectacular “art city” in Milan, while Paris also has the comparatively venerable Cartier Foundation. Meanwhile, the hottest “art exhibition” in London is Alexander McQueen at the V&A.

Related: Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris review – everything and the bling from Frank Gehry

Related: Miuccia Prada: I hate the idea of being a collector. I really hate it

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