Frank Gehry's New Paris Museum Looks Like A Glass Sailboat

Advertisement

Prolific architect Frank Gehry is known for his impressive portfolio, and now he has added to it with a new museum in France.

Advertisement

The cultural institute, Fondation Louis Vuitton, was commissioned by LVMH Group CEO Bernard Arnault and designed by Gehry himself.

It's located in the Jardin d'Acclimatation at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, which was once a royal hunting ground and is now a public park and zoological garden.

The glass building will house 11 galleries, and was designed to look like a sailboat opening up in the wind.

The center will open with an exhibit called "Voyage of Creation," which will be dedicated to understanding the architecture of the building, according to the press release.

Advertisement

The exhibit will be presented at the same time as an exhibition of Gehry's work that will be on display at the Centre Pompidou. The Fondation will also have an auditorium to host musical guests, the first being the famous pianist Lang Lang.

The new museum will host two temporary exhibits every year, with the next one being planned for December 2014.

Construction for the 126,000-square-foot building began in March 2008. It took a team of 5,000 to construct the building.

The glass "sails" are made of 3,600 glass panels, each uniquely designed by the star architect.

The building is entirely transparent and plays with notions of inside and outside, according to the website.

Advertisement

15,000 tons of steel form the building's main structure - twice the amount used for the Eiffel Tower.

"I simply look at what is in front of my eyes. Then all I do is react. Drawing makes me happy,"Frank Gehry said of his creation via Fondation Louis Vuitton.

The center for contemporary art and culture will officially open to the public on Monday October 27.

For more information visit the Fondation Louis Vuitton's website here.