Opening of The Fondation Louis Vuitton in the Jardin d’Acclimatation, Paris

The Fondation Louis Vuitton is a new Parisian centre for contemporary French and international artistic creation, contained within a building commissioned by Bernard Arnault, and designed by the American architect Frank Gehry. The building resembles a cloud of glass: twelve large transparent sails covering a main body, itself formed from an assembly of pure white blocks. Sunken into the ground, the Fondation appears to float within the surrounding Jardin d’Acclimatation whose trees and greenery will play light tricks with and be mirrored by its vast panes.

The Jardin d’Acclimatation, a 20 hectare zoological park in the Bois de Boulogne, still contains delicate constructions dating back to the 1860s and was the inspiration behind Gehry’s vision. The architectural plan itself, meanwhile, comprises exhibition galleries dedicated to a permanent collection, as well as those for temporary exhibitions and artists’ commissions. The building’s terraces open out to give panoramic views of Paris and as well as allowing for artworks and interior installations, a flexible auditorium provides space for multi-disciplinary performances.

The Fondation’s programme is designed to continue the tradition of artistic and creative movements of the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as providing a space for meetings, debates and symposia, educational activities and the organisation of temporary exhibitions and events. The first exhibition to be held within the Fondation Louis Vuitton will detail the various stages of Gehry’s architectural commission, and is to be presented in dialogue with the first European retrospective of Frank Gehry’s work at the Centre Pompidou, Paris.

The opening takes place on 27 October 2014 at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, 8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi, 75116 Paris, France. From more information visit www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr.

Credits
1. Fondation Louis Vuitton.

Follow us on Twitter @AestheticaMag for the latest news in contemporary art and culture.