I won’t share my thoughts on the Fondation Louis Vuitton. The building designed by Frank Gehry in the “Deconstructivism” style took 8 years to build and cost almost €800 million. Yes, that is correct. It is located in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, in the 16th arrondissement. It opened on October 20, 2014.
There was opposition to the building on public land, but a special law was passed by the Assemblee National that the Foundation was in the national interest and “a major work of art for the whole world” and the work was allowed to proceed.
It is an art gallery. The museum’s collection, believed to be a collection of works owned by LVMH and Bernard Arnault, was not on show when we visited. The building will eventually belong to the city of Paris, without the art collection. A sizeable portion of the cost of the building was a tax deduction for the company. I will share 1 thought, I think it is a monument to Bernard and Frank…see what you think.
The building wears an LV brooch.
Inside the auditorium is a bookshop and a small cafe with an ocean theme.
There are many levels and terraces.
This is an installation called “Where the Slaves Live” created in 2014 by Villar Rojas.
This is a model of the building
There are views from the terraces.
There is a large water feature which flows under the building.
The building is certainly an architectural marvel.
Our visit to Paris has come to an end. It has been a wonderful 4 weeks. Paris is beautiful. Everywhere you turn there is something delightful to see and to taste. This will not be the last trip to Paris.
Thank you June and Paul for your company and good advice, you are excellent ambassadors for the city.
Thank you to the other Paul and Xavier for your excellent suggestions.
I have lots more photos of the places we saw and more posts will follow.