LV Foundation

Louis Vuitton Foundation

By: Emma Gaudet

Location: 8 ave du Mahatma Gandhi 75116

Hours: M-W-TH: 12h – 19h / F: 12h – 23h / S-S: 11h – 20h / T: closed

What do you get when you combine a world renowned architect (who brought us the Guggenheim and the Walt Disney Concert Hall), and an avid art collector (who just happens to be the CEO of Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy)? A glass iceberg floating in the Bois de Boulogne. The Louis Vuitton Foundation opened last month in Paris, bringing with it a new realm to showcase art.

Architect Frank Gehry designed twelve glass sails which, when combined, form a stunning iceberg. The floating structure consists of eleven exhibition galleries, a restaurant, a bookshop, and an auditorium that can hold up to a thousand.

Bernard Arnault, the CEO of LVMH, wanted to create a platform for modernity while maintaining the element of timelessness. The building was first exposed to a large audience for the Louis Vuitton Spring 2015 collection during Paris Fashion Week. It will more than likely be home to many Louis Vuitton shows in the future, but fashion is a mere compliment to the spectrum of modern art that will pass through the Foundation's doors.

violet7 contributor Lena Waltenberger attended the opening:

“I was lucky to get the chance to attend the Louis Vuitton Foundation opening on October 23rd. I had the chance to see the interior of the “iceberg” before the public.

I was welcomed by the fish lamps in the entrance hall, which pay homage to Gehry and Arnault's zodiac signs. I then walked up an elegant staircase to the terrace, which offered a beautiful view of Paris.

There was abundant champagne, sinfully delicious desserts, and crowds of beautiful people. I also had the pleasure of seeing the building at night, which emphasized the immensity of the building. I know that will not be my only excursion to the Louis Vuitton Foundation, it's truly worth a visit."

#fashion #louisvuitton #emma