Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Inside Paris’s Fancy New Fondation Louis Vuitton




Frank Gehry has all but invaded Paris this month, with two new projects having his name: the inauguration of the long-awaited Fondation Louis Vuitton, an immense modern-art space in the historic parkland of the Bois de Boulogne, and a retrospective associated with his life's work at the Centre Pompidou.

The latter (which features numerous sketches and models that have never been exhibited before) was timed towards the opening of the Fondation - LVMH honcho Bernard Arnault's passion project which has been decades in the making. (He first met with Gehry to discuss the task after a visit to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao in 2001. )

In Friday’s press conference, Gehry was clearly proud of his commission. “It’s obvious that I love France, I used to live here, and I like the wine, ” this individual said with a chuckle, adding, “It’s been a big honor for me to do this creating here for Mr. Arnault, who is a dedicated art patron. ” Gehry’s only some other building in France is the Cinémathèque de Paris, formerly the American Center, built in 1994.

The Fondation Louis Vuitton, which has 11 gallery spaces spread over several levels, will house much of the Fondation’s permanent collection (including many items through Arnault’s own personal art collection) as well as a revolving program of commissioned work. There is also an auditorium on the lower level that will host a diverse music program -- classical pianist Lang Lang and cult electro-group Kraftwerk are already on the expenses. (Nicolas Ghesquière presented Louis Vuitton’s spring-summer 2015 collection in this room previously in October. )

Each gallery and every turn caters to an entirely new encounter - be it Olafur Eliasson’s works with light and mirrors in the "grotto" or even Ellsworth Kelly’s permanent exhibition in the "chapel. " In addition to the internal spaces, Gehry described his desire to design a building that was “forgiving" - one that might evolve over time. “I hope the building will have a life of its own, ” he stated.

He called his monument “ephemeral” and “cloudlike, ” and explained he worked with transparent materials that would change with the light and convey a sense of motion. The immense glass sails of the structure (or the "iceberg, " since it has been called) make it look like a futuristic ship, floating high through the treetops from the Bois de Boulogne’s Jardin d’Acclimatation. The view from the top terrace looks more than Paris, all the way to the skyscrapers of La Défense. Arnault says the Fondation will become the landmark for posterity: He plans to gift the museum to the associated with Paris in 50 years.

Click through images to see pictures of the fashion audience at the Fondation's opening-night party.

The Fondation Louis Vuitton opens to the public within the 27th of October. The Frank Gehry retrospective runs at the Centre Pompidou until January 26, 2015.

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