louis vuitton foundation
CREATION IS A JOURNEY
Or better in French, which is more insinuating: The creation is a voyage . This is the name of the second exhibition, the second step in the process of making this museum known to the world. Although the said event has already ended, its name clearly summarizes what this building is looking for . And that is basically that you leave reality to embark on an epic marked by the imagination. For this, he had the Lewis Carroll of architecture, Frank Gehry, who signed up without hesitation for the difficult task that was proposed the Gallic city and Bernard Arnault , the president of the group LVMH , not without some other complaint and legal obstacle to being located in a protected park.
Inside
Aside from the uplifting taglines, suddenly appearing in front of this building confirms that Close Encounters of the Third Kind feel, of being in front of a spaceship that is about to leave and whose commander is urging travelers to get on and take a seat. This explains why the metaphorical theories about its appearance fantasize about the idea that Gehry wanted to make a cloud, although the reason that points to the ambition of the architect himself seems more likely. in creating the Grand Palais of the 21st century. Hence the use of glass as the key element and dancer that always stands out in his creations. But this bold-shelled structure manages to be more volatile by blending into its surroundings and the ground. The fact of being protected by a moat conveys the feeling that it is perched on the pool and that at any moment resumes the march. It even conveys some unease as it seems a pop-up, something ephemeral and elusive. The first objective, that of being apparently innovative and magnetic, has been achieved.
The intricate works of Tacita Dean
A GUGGENHEIM IN PARIS
Comparisons with the other great museum of Canadian genius do not have to be oriented so much to the concept of building-show and its structure and aesthetics . And it is that, inside, Gehry repeats the combination that has made him go down in history in the Bilbao estuary. This is it: a gigantic entrance hall, a twisted structure, a labyrinth of rooms and certain tourist inbreeding with which to 'kidnap' the visitor and deny it any impact other than that of the monument itself.
To that we must add that the Fondation's collection is not too extensive, reason why the architecture acquires a superlative importance. To such an extent that anyone who comes looking for "famous" works of art will be disappointed because what is on display here are the bets of the Louis Vuitton house, where only the predilection for Giacometti (and the photos he took of her Cartier-Bresson ) is saved from the ostracism of the common man. Therefore, the visit focuses on getting lost in the rooms, the escalators and the viewpoints. In this tour, from time to time, interventions and sculptures appear that attract attention such as 'Rose' by Isa Genzken presiding over the entrance, Eliasson's yellow grotto flanking the pool or Gehry's fish lighting the restaurant that manage to dialogue with the building and steal a little prominence. Something similar to what happens in Bilbao since the Fondation drinks from its impressive building and the exhibitions it houses and not so much from its collection.
cherry blossoms
SUBJECTIVISM, CONTEMPLATION, 'POPISM' AND MUSIC
And yet... Tachan! The great exhibition with which the spring of this place is consolidated is here. With ** Les clefs d'une passion ** , the Fondation has hit the table to claim its vision of art using some of the greatest creators of the 20th century. Basically, what the group has been doing since Arnault and his cultural adviser, Jean-Paul Claverie, took on positions of responsibility: talk about Louis Vuitton through creativity. It may seem that both discourses are forced together, but since their values are common, the result is not so much an advertising spot as a magnificent retrospective hodgepodge of the best of the Vanguards.
Divided into four areas (or keys to this passion), the exhibition speaks of subjectivism and expressionism as the first step of contemporaneity facing the cheerful portraits of Otto Dix with the ghostly faces of Bacon as well as the existentialist steps of Giacometti with the anguish of Munch's 'Scream' . It then goes on to pay tribute to contemplation, from the most beautiful results with Monet or Nolde as an example, passing through the abstraction of Malevich, Mondrian, Rothko or Brancusi and reaching the 'voyeurism' of a Picasso in full swing.
Brancusi and Rothko sharing the stage
The last two rooms reflect on the importance of the everyday universe and the first steps towards Pop-Art that Léger or Picabia gave, where routine scenes were still more important than brands or serialism. The exhibition ends with a hymn to music and dance starring two 'obrones' by Matisse seasoned with a series by Kandinsky that had never before been so closely linked to this sound art, with a party-painting by Severini and a couple of creations by Kupka. A All this cheerful and varied selection will remain together until July 6.
WALK THROUGH (OR AMONG) THE CLOUDS
Leaving behind the paintings and the exhibition halls, the visit to this new icon holds one last surprise: its terraces. Going outside serves to idolize Gehry even more as well as to enjoy the contrast of his glass skin with the sky, in a labyrinthine walk where there is no lack of palm trees, some work of art and the occasional balcony over the city. From here you can see the office complex and aluminum titans that is La Défense, as well as the thick forest that surrounds the building. And, almost as far as the horizon, the Eiffel Tower peeks through the grooves of its scales , with hardly any prominence but with that insurmountable charm. oh! And as the architect himself points out, without sharing a plan with the horrendous Montparnasse skyscraper.
The Eiffel Tower appears
BOIS DE BOULOGNE IS NO LONGER THE FAR WEST
The latest revolution that this new attraction has meant for the city is the expansive wave that has turned Bois de Boulogne and Neuilly-sur-Seine . The first lucky one of its opening has been Le Jardin d'Acclimatation , the first zoo in the city that today survives as an amusement park for the little ones. The fact of sharing a plot makes entering here almost mandatory for all those who want to enjoy the building 100%, since its most beautiful and well-cared facade overlooks one of its meadows. Also, the entrance is included with the ticket of the Fondation so after so much abstraction and modernity you can always be a child again for its ponds and small farms. And to finish off the offer, a series of restaurants that are pure coquetry.
Looking south, the great forest of the Bois de Boulogne remains intractable. The largest park in Paris it is wilder and more neglected than its neighbors, meaning that in some sections it is not known whether it is a green space or a ditch with trees. However, the project of this museum is long-term, Therefore, in the coming years, work will be done to make this western edge of Paris more attractive to travelers. And it is that arguments are not lacking, with idyllic corners such as the Great Cascade or the Lower Lake.
The trees appear in the surroundings of the Foundation
Already in the urbanized area, Neuilly-sur-Seine has been populated by more visitors, causing restaurants such as Sequoia Café, Chez Ly, Durand Dupont or Le Terroir sur le Pouce to proliferate around the Marché des Sablons, which without artifice manage to mix the quiet life of an upper-middle class suburb with the quality your new customers demand. The same has happened with hotels like Le Jardin de Neuilly, which have seen the cultural incentive added to their basic charms: tranquility and understated luxury.
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