During last months trip to Paris the one must-see location was the Frank Gehry designed Foundation Louis Vuitton (FLV). Once again, Gehry did not disappoint.
As soon as I checked into the hotel I took a short walk over to FLV through the Jardin d’Acclimatation…what a great park! This city and its public spaces are so family friendly. Every park I’ve walked through in Paris has such great activities for kids…amusement park rides, games, pony rides, Ferris Wheels, beautiful meandering paths to stroll through. Don’t get me wrong, Chicago is a city full of amazing parks but the family friendliness in Paris’ parks is in another class.
The FLV, like all Gehry designs, is so unique. This massive structure with its billowing “sails” immediately feels like a ship at sea. Gehry had to build within the two-story square footage of the bowling alley that previously stood on this site; anything higher had to be glass. He drew inspiration from the Grand Palais, also a largely glass structure.
The building is home to 11 galleries, an auditorium and multi-level terraces with views of La Defense and a slice of the Eiffel Tower. Plus this great, mirrored walkway with a reflecting pool on the lower level.
As a photographer there are so many ways to approach this building and so many areas to play with all the lines and curves, incorporating city views, reflections and abstractions. As usual, I took way too many images and edited far more than I probably should have…seems impossible not to with any of Gehry’s designs. I’ll just share a few here but if you’d like to see all the images (b+w and color versions), feel free to check out this set on Flickr.









A second visit with the sunshine!




A few color…