Frank Gehry – Design & Culture by Ed

I finally had the time to visit Fondation Louis Vuitton during my recent stay in Paris. Surrounded by the greenery of Bois de Boulogne, this place really does stun with its view. At the beginning of March, no particular art exhibition was taking place here – just the sole experience of Frank Gehry’s architecture. Bathed in natural daylight from the skylight, the exhibition “An Architectural Journey” was like a walk inside of a living organism. Prepared in collaboration with Frank Gehry’s teams in Los Angeles, the exhibition proposed an open itinerary for visitors. Like the building itself, which offers multiple possible paths, you could easily get lost in all the wings and sails of the construction – but somehow, this was a kind of pleasure to explore it without a plan. The visual experience offered a vision of the building’s striking beauty, as well as its technological complexity. Definitely worth a visit, even though getting there takes a while.

8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi

All photos by Edward Kanarecki.

(P.S. If you are inspired by my Parisian coverage, I’m really happy about, but please have in mind that now isn’t a safe time for any sorts of travelling. Stay at home!)

The Fondation Louis Vuitton, Frank Gehry’s new masterpiece, was gleaming above the Bois de Boulogne in the October sun. And here, also, the third Louis Vuitton show was held under creative direction of Nicolas Ghesquiere. It was literally a time travel. Sci-fi movie. Big, cyborg platforms with youthful faces speaking in unison lines that had been lifted and modified from the 1984 David Lynch film, Dune: “A beginning is a very delicate time…Day zero in the heart of the project, code-named GEHRY014…A ship surrounded by a gigantic woodland, a ship made up of 3,600 glass panels and 15,000 tons of steel, a ship that serves as an incubator and ignites our fellow creative minds…Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you, today, October 1, the LV house wants to explore the ability to travel to any part of the universe without moving. The journey starts here.” We know already from Ghesquiere’s Balenciaga times, that he loves science-fiction. But that was major. That was the start. First looks were all about folklore knits. Then, sharp denim. Modernistic dresses. Floral collages. Fun with LV logo. “No rupture with last season,” Ghesquière said afterward. “It’s still a wardrobe, it’s about an instinctive mix.” Indeed there was a mix of wearable and couture-ish vibe. But it was totally Nicolas Ghesquiere. What are your thoughts about the show?