Not one to be stopped by the current transportation strike that has been plaguing Paris for the past 44 days, I hopped on an electrical scooter and headed for the Foundation Louis Vuitton located on the west side of Paris. Much to my surprise my trottinette died on me as soon as I hit the famous Bois de Boulogne. Who knew these things not only had geo-locators but also remote control mechanisms to block them?
Rather disappointed I walked through the woods to reach the magnificent museum sponsored by the luxury group LVMH to promote art and culture.
From an initial sketch drawn on a paper napkin to the transparent cloud sitting at the edge of the Jardin d'Acclimatation in the Bois de Boulogne, Frank Gehry constantly sought to "design, in Paris, a magnificent vessel symbolising the cultural calling of France".
In a unique, emblematic and bold building with 3,600 panels of glass curved to the nearest millimetre forming the Fondation's twelve sails and 19,000 panels of Ductal (fibre-reinforced concrete), each one unique, that give the iceberg its immaculate whiteness, Frank Gehry pushed back the boundaries of conventional architecture.
It took 13 years from Bernard Arnault's meeting with Frank Gehry after visiting the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to the grand opening in 2014 but Paris now has a first-class flagship with a surface area of 11,000 m².
But beware, the Bourse de Commerce, a private museum for rival luxury goods billionaire François Pinault's collection, is scheduled to open in June 2020.
All you need is a dream...
A vision appears through the trees...
... it's Frank Gehry's white sailboat.
A front view of the Louis Vuitton Foundation
It reflects pure luxury on every level
Even on a dreary day the view onto Le Jardin d'Acclimatation and La Defense is spectacular.
The Eiffel Tower on the horizon.
My favourite spots are the many terrasses on different levels.
Mirror, mirror on the wall...
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