Opened in October 2014, the Fondation Louis Vuitton was designed by star architect Frank Gehry in the Bois de Boulogne adjacent to Jardin d’Acclimatation.
Commissioned by Bernard Arnault, the Chairman of LVMH, the $143 million sails-inspired glass building is a contemporary art museum consisted of 11 galleries, an auditorium, a restaurant, a bookstore and a roof garden.
Like many big-budget buildings by other contemporary star architects – Zaha Zadid, Daniel Libeskind and Renzo Piano to name a few, subtlety is the last thing you would expect from them. Imposing, audacious and conspicuous, the building’s facade is very ‘intagramable’, but it looks completely out of place next to the 19th century children’s amusement park Jardin d’Acclimatation. Beautiful or hideous, it is utterly subjective; though personally, I have quite mixed feelings towards this building.
Top two rows: The miniature models and floor plan of the building; Bottom: Olafur Eliasson’s installation ‘Inside the horizon’
My issue with this building has less to do with its exterior, I was more bothered by its confusing layout and navigation. While there is only one route to visit the connecting galleries in the basement, the galleries upstairs are disjointed in an erratic manner, and so it is easy to miss certain rooms without even realising it!
The building’s stainless steel, carbon steel and wood (larch) structure and its roof garden
One of the highlights of the museum is its roof garden, where you can admire the building’s complex steel and wood structure and the skyscrapers of La Défense (looking very much like Canary Wharf in London) on a clear day.
Jardin d’Acclimatation – 2nd & 3rd row left: outdoor jazz/music concerts on Sundays
After spending time admiring contemporary art work indoor, I was eager to get out and enjoy some sun and nature. Even though Jardin d’Acclimatation is a children’s ‘theme’ park, it is spacious and relaxing, and has plenty to offer adults like outdoor music concerts in the weekends.
To my surprise, there is even a Korean garden and an Edo period (1862) Japanese farmhouse within the park.
Korean garden and a traditional Japanese farmhouse
Yet the cutest attraction at the park is the Little train, a locomotive with electric traction which travels on the historical railway (1878) that links the park to Porte Maillot metro station. It is great to see the railway still being in operation after 138 years!
If you are not prepared to pay €14 to visit The Fondation Louis Vuitton, you can spend €3 and enjoy the park’s attractions while admiring Gehry‘s architecture as the backdrop!
Le Petit train