Fondation Louis Vuitton Building in Paris by Frank Gehry with Daniel Buren’s Partecipation
“I dream of designing a magnificent sailing ship in Paris, which symbolize the deep cultural vocation of France.” Frank Gehry
On 26th May 2016, Espace Louis Vuitton Venice inaugurated the Fondation Louis Vuitton Building in Paris by Frank Gehry exhibition, a real immersion into the creative and technical processes that have made the birth of Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris possible. “I dream of designing a beautiful sailing ship for Paris, symbolizing France’s deep inclination to culture”: this is the philosophy behind the exhibition that traces the architectural designs of Frank Gehry, winner of the Pritzker Prize in 1989.
An unprecedented selection of handcrafted works, sketches and maquettes created by Studio Gehry in Los Angeles illustrates the Fondation Louis Vuitton project, commissioned by Bernard Arnault, President and CEO of LVMH, which opened to the public in Paris on 27th October 2014. A place that has already become a reference for contemporary French and international artistic creation, the Fondation encourages and promotes contemporary artistic creation and French and international modern art in all its forms.
The exhibition presents a selection of scale models made for the project by Gehry Partners Studio. They are arranged in groups and go on the study of the various aspects of the building: integration to the site, architectural program, project design, interior spaces, “iceberg” and glass sails.
The models are grouped in a way to evoke schools of fish, symbols dear to Frank Gehry. The works seem to float in a liquid, with a dynamic movement marked by a striking video, made through the drone to provide a vision not anthropometric building.
The proposed route for visitors reflects the building itself, full of detours and discoveries, inviting them to immerse themselves in the design of Frank Gehry to discover the genesis of this monument which enriches the architectural heritage of Paris and has welcomed over 1 million visitors.
Presented for the first time in Paris for the inauguration of the Fondation Louis Vuitton, the exhibition has been specially re-designed by Gehry Partners for the Espace Louis Vuitton in Venice.
This traveling exhibition, which is part of the program of events organized by the Fondation called “Beyond the Walls”, tells not only the stunning architecture of the building, but also the other activities of the Fondation. Among them, the temporary exhibitions which are told from a contemporary or historical point of view; the presentations of the Fondation collection and the concerts that have animated the Auditorium.
As part of the exhibition, Daniel Buren created a special installation for the Espace Louis Vuitton glass windows in Venice. It echoes his latest work “Observatory of Light”, created for the Fondation in Paris and unveiled on May 11th. Installed on the iconic glass sails of the Fondation, the work offers a fascinating new perception of the building .
On this occasion, Louis Vuitton Spazio Etoile Roma will present a program dedicated to Fondation Louis Vuitton, in line with the Venetian Espace.
Espace Louis Vuitton Venice continues the precious collaboration with Venice Civic Museums Foundation (MUVE) that thanks to an accurate and passionate local sponsorship and cultural actions project has led Louis Vuitton to supporting the restoration of works coming from all the collections of the museums managed by the Foundation.
