Last month we told you about the Italian painter who turned a Piaggio P.180 Avanti into an art installation.

Now as part of a partnership between private jet charter and ownership firm VistaJet and Bombardier Aerospace, acclaimed street artist RETNA has hand-painted a unique work of art on the tail of a VistaJet Global Express XRS.

The $60 million luxury aircraft, an ultra long range corporate and VIP high speed wonder, will be the new star of VistaJet’s fleet of 31 private jets.

Drawing from a wide array of influences including gang graffiti, Asian calligraphy, Incan and Egyptian hieroglyphics, and Hebrew and Arabic script, RETNA’s vision is designed to be a new and unique “international visual language.

The high-flying work of art was just officially unveiled at EBACE 2011 in Geneva.

The project comes on the heels of VistaJet’s and Bombardier’s sponsorship of RETNA’s “Hallelujah World Tour,” presented by Andy Valmorbida and Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld, which launched in New York in February and will continue throughout the year in cities including London and Hong Kong.

Check out the Bombardiers for sale on on JamesList.

[$60 Million Global Express XRS Art Jet on JamesList]

Yesterday at The Old Diary warehouse space, the LA graffiti artist RETNA (MSK-AWR crews) had his London exhibition after the one in New York of few months ago. “The Halleluja world tour” is supported by the duo Andy Valmorbida and Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld (the son of the ex Editor in Chief of Vogue Paris, Carine Roitfield). The artist pieces were presented in a very large mediums, most on canvas, some on ink on handmade paper. Personally I really like the works of this graffiti artist, that seems to be one of the most prolific in the street-contemporary art scene. A lot of people came to the show including english super models Lily Donaldson and Edie Cambell, the new Burberry face, and socialite Julia Restoin Roitfield.

I had the opportunity to meet the other writers who came to the event including the Brighton based AROE (MSK-Heavy Artillery). Coming from a graffiti background is always good to me to see all these writers arriving to do their things in the big galleries and be recognised in the contemporary art scene.

All photos by Butterflies and Hurricanes

SOURCE: http://www.livincool.com/gallery/retna-the-halleluja-world-tour-london-8th-june-2011

By Emily Cronin | Posted: Thu 09 Jun 2011

The style set turned out for last night’s RETNA exhibition opening…

Thank you, Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld, for infusing ye olde midweek gallery opening with a frisson of fashion industry glamour. The Roitfeld scion, now accomplished as a contemporary art curator, flung open the doors to an exhibition of work by artist RETNA at The Old Dairy in London last night.

The Hallelujah World Tour opening attracted a cross-section of fashion and art-world heavies: models Edie Campbell, Lily Donaldson and Tolula Adeyemi; and designers Daniella Helayel, Kinder Aggugini and Danielle Scutt all made appearances. Serpentine Gallery Co-Director Julia Peyton-Jones lent art-world cred, while Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and boyfriend Robert Konjic toasted the curator. Caroline Sieber, Alison Mosshart, Dominic Jones… you get the idea.

RETNA, a Los Angeles based artist, creates graffiti-inspired canvases and murals. The London show follows a successful exhibition in New York. Next, it’s off to Hong Kong. But not before some sure-to-be-packed parties…

See all the stars from last night’s party

SOURCE: http://www.elleuk.com/news/fashion-news/the-hallelujah-party/%28gid%29/776757

Retna has been keeping himself busy recently — among other things, by participating in the Art in the Streets exhibition at MOCA, Street Cred at the Pasadena Museum of California Art, and painting the tail of a business jet in Geneva for VistaJet. He’s currently in the UK for the London limb of his Hallelujah World Tour which began in New York City in February (featured).  The pop-up event is being held at the Dairy, with the opening taking place on the evening of Wednesday 8 June and the show scheduled to run until 27 June.

AM did an 18-hour stint with the artist as he finished off his last canvases and preparations were being finalised.  We can safely say that it wasn’t a dull experience.  See a few teaser photos after the jump.

See more photos at Arrested Motion

SOURCE: http://arrestedmotion.com/2011/06/set-up-teasers-retna-the-hallelujah-world-tour-london-the-dairy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=set-up-teasers-retna-the-hallelujah-world-tour-london-the-dairy