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Chanel exhibition to land in Central Park

The Associated Press

3:05 PM EDT, July 24, 2008

A spaceship-like art pavilion commissioned by Chanel will land in New York's Central Park this fall, the latest stop in a worldwide tour meant to pay homage to the fashion house's famous quilted handbag.

Chanel hired renowned London architect Zaha Hadid to design the 7,500-square-foot structure, which is pieced together out of gleaming white plastic panels. The pavilion itself is like a handbag -- "a completely portable and functional container," Chanel said Thursday.

Displayed in the space will be works by 15 contemporary artists who were asked to use the classic handbag designed by Coco Chancel in 1955 as inspiration.

The exhibition, called Mobile Art, was conceived by Chanel's designer Karl Lagerfeld. It will run from Oct. 20 to Nov. 9 in the park's Rumsey Playfield.

"It's going to be an ephemeral presence," said Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "It will touch down for 3 weeks and then take off for other cities."

Chanel will pay the city a $400,000 "use fee" and make a donation "in the seven figures" to the Central Park Conservancy and the City Parks Foundation, Benepe said.

The exhibition is free but visitors will need to reserve tickets in advance.

The show has already traveled to Hong Kong and Tokyo, and after New York will head for London, Moscow and Paris. Different works of arts including sculpture, photographs and videos are being shown in each city.

Hadid won the Pritzker Prize, the architecture profession's highest award, in 2004.