A year has gone by since the avant-garde architectural lines of the Louis Vuitton Foundation emerged—dazzling—in Paris’ Bois de Boulogne. In such a short span of time, the new building has become an icon of the new French architecture and a benchmark in the cultural landscape of Paris.
Louis Vuitton Foundation.
The events organized to celebrate this first anniversary will feature a series of exhibitions, artistic performances, concerts and side events.
Innovative architecture
The creation of the exceptional building was possible thanks to the joint efforts of the foundation’s private initiative and the city of Paris. The Bois de Boulogne—a prime location in the metropolitan heart of the city—was the space chosen to build the “transparent cloud” conceived by the renowned architect Frank Gehry, creator of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Dancing House in Prague, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, among other works.
To bring to life such a unique project, it was necessary to design individual plates of curved glass that make up the 3,600 panels arranged in twelve immense sails attached to 19,000 panels of white reinforced concrete. The perfect composition of steel, glass and light achieve the ethereal appearance of a cloud or the mystique of an iceberg, harmoniously integrated into the surrounding greenery. The work, no doubt, will remain as a symbol of the transcendent architecture of this century. Its impressive design reflects Gehry’s innovative genius and the creative spirit of Louis Vuitton.
Frank Gehry’s magnificent building is inspired by the shape of a cloud.
Keys to a Passion
A comprehensive exhibition called Keys to a Passion brings together a careful selection of works by iconic artists of the 20th century. The historical exhibition, on view until June 2016, clearly demonstrates that the foundation is willing—and eager—to collaborate with museums around the world.
Among the works displayed are loans from the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg; the Tate Modern in London; MoMA in New York; the Munch Museum in Oslo; the Guggenheim in New York; the Municipal Museum of The Hague; Pouckhine, the Museum of Moscow; the Kröller Müller in Otterlo; Russian State Museum in Moscow; the MNAM at the Centre Pompidou in Paris; the Kunsthaus in Zurich; and MOCA in Los Angeles.
Other Anniversary Events
The splendid Auditorium is a place dedicated to the creation and meeting of musicians and artists of all disciplines. For the occasion, renowned artists have graced its stages such as the Moscow Virtuosi under the baton of Maestro Spivakov, who include in their repertoire works by Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich.
The same auditorium hosted the sublime Concerto for Two Violins by JS Bach, played by Laurent Korcia. Another special moment was the presentation of Available Light, a dance piece by choreographer Lucinda Childs, with sets by Frank Gehry’s, executed by her niece, dancer Ruth Childs.
The first year anniversary’s celebration will include a broad program of cultural activities.
One of the most striking presentations—one that will undoubtedly remain in the public’s memory is La Victoire sur le Soleil by the Theatre of Moscow with the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, a futurist Russian opera with music by Mikhail Matiushin and costume design by Malevich, released in St. Petersburg in 1913, and now presented by the Louis Vuitton Foundation in collaboration with Cahiers d’Art. The work shows the creative effervescence of the early 20th-century Russia through scenography, costumes, text and music that utterly departed from the canons of the time.
So it is summarized this dazzling parade of events dedicated to honoring the first year of a foundation where art, culture and fashion make up a spiritual family that everyone is invited to join permanently. ■
