22 Aug 2014
Gehry-designed Louis Vuitton foundation opens in Paris this October
BY Tom Anstey
Louis Vuitton’s museum project, designed by Frank Ghery of architecture firm Ghery Partners, is nearing completion almost eight years after plans for the €100m (US$132m, £80m) Paris-based attraction were first revealed.
Set to open in October, the 126,000sq ft (11,705sq m) Louis Vuitton Foundation – designed to resemble “a cloud of glass” – includes 11 exhibition galleries dedicated to Vuitton’s private collection alongside a space for temporary exhibitions in addition to a 350-seat auditorium.
Terraces have also been constructed on the building’s upper levels to provide panoramic views of Paris and the Jardin d’Acclimation which Gehry says he used as his inspiration for the project. This is Gehry’s first project in Paris since the American Center, now the Cinémathèque Française, which opened in 1994.
“With the Louis Vuitton Foundation for Creation, we wanted to create an exceptional venue for art and culture in Paris,” said Louis Vuitton CEO Bernard Arnault. “This new construction will place creation at the heart of the city, open dialogue with a wider audience and provide artists and intellectuals with a platform for debate and reflection.”
Frank Gehry added: “I am particularly honoured that Bernard Arnault and Yves Carcelle chose me to design and carry out the architectural project for this foundation, which will give concrete expression to years of exceptional patronage from LVMH and Louis Vuitton in favour of arts and artists in all walks of life.”
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