Fondation Louis Vuitton

Frank Gehry's building, opened in 2014, is wrapped in twelve glass sails made of some three thousand six hundred curved panels, no two identical, mounted on a laminated timber and steel frame; the geometry required design software originally developed for aircraft, and Gehry has described the brief as a ship for Paris. Inside are eleven galleries on several levels showing the Arnault collection and large temporary exhibitions, and roof terraces run between the sails at different heights, giving views over the Bois de Boulogne and back toward La Defense. A grotto beneath holds an Olafur Eliasson installation of mirrors and water.

History

In 2001 Bernard Arnault, head of LVMH, met Frank Gehry and told him of plans for a new building for the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne; the project was presented in 2006, estimated at €100 million, and the city of Paris, which owns the park, granted a building permit in 2007. In 2011 a group defending the Bois de Boulogne won a court ruling against the building, but a special law declared the foundation a work of national interest and the construction went ahead. The museum opened on 20 October 2014, its final cost later reported to be about €780 million, and in 2017 it drew more than 1.4 million visitors (Wikipedia, Louis Vuitton Foundation).

The main sights

• The glass sails - twelve curved shells of individually shaped panels.
• The roof terraces - stepped outdoor levels between the sails.
• The galleries - the Arnault collection and large temporary shows.
• The Eliasson grotto - a mirrored water installation below the building.

When to go

Year-round; the museum closes on Tuesdays. Booking a timed slot is effectively necessary for major exhibitions. A shuttle runs from Etoile for ticket holders.

Before you go

Major exhibitions sell out weeks ahead and walk-up entry is often impossible. The building is out in the Bois de Boulogne and takes time to reach. Terraces close in high wind.

Nearby

The Bois de Boulogne surrounds it; La Defense lies northwest.

Key facts