Frank Gehry Makes a Splash in Paris with Fondation Louis Vuitton

The talk of the town in Paris these days is the soon-to-open Fondation Luis Vuitton, designed by visionary architect Frank Gehry.

“And Frank Gehry created the Fondation Louis Vuitton,” says RFI. “An Architect’s Big Parisian Moment,” declares a New York Times headline. “An organic, living object,” Le Monde quotes photographer Cyrille Weiner describing his glorious subject.“Gehry’s Paris Coup,” announces the Vanity Fair magazine story. “Frank Gehry’s Louis Vuitton art museum sails onto Paris skyline,” shouts Reuters. The global media is positively abuzz about the cloud-like structure that has gracefully taken residence in the Bois de Boulogne.

France Today attended the press preview day on Friday, October 17, and what did we find? Believe the hype. Covered in curved glass panels, the Fondation Louis Vuitton is an extraordinary building that respects the surrounding natural landscape. During the press conference, Frank Gehry humbly described his love for the city of Paris and for the heritage-listed Jardin d’acclimatation next to the new museum. (Stay tuned for details in a future issue of France Today magazine.)

The Fondation Louis Vuitton officially opens its doors on October 27 after an openhouse weekend free of charge for those visitors who have reserved tickets online. The regular admission fee is 14 euros. Access by métro line 1 (Les Sablons) or the Fondation’s shuttle bus which departs from place Charles de Gaulle every 15 minutes and costs 1 euro.