louis vuitton pays homage to frank gehry with exhibition in grand palais during art basel paris

Frank gehry and louis vuitton at grand palais for art basel paris

For Art Basel Paris 2024, Louis Vuitton celebrates Frank Gehry by bringing his monumental white fish lamp and more inside the Grand Palais. The lighting adorns the Balcon d’Honneur of the palace and illuminates the space at night, and a wooden arch made of slats in geometric patterns encircles the fish lamp, which Frank Gehry also exhibited at Gagosian New York. The exhibition is the Maison’s homage to many of the architect’s designs and works with them, on view at the Grand Palais from October 18th to 20th for the 2024 edition of Art Basel Paris.

Frank Gehry and Louis Vuitton have had 20 years of collaboration. The architect, artist, and designer is the mastermind behind Maison Louis Vuitton Seoul, which opened its doors in 2019, featuring its glass-covered exterior and fluid lines. He also created a collection of stoppers for the Maison’s Les Extraits perfume bottles in 2021, as well as reimagined ones for the 2022 Les Editions d’Art, this time made from Murano glass. In 2023, Louis Vuitton presented Frank Gehry’s debut collection of handbags at Art Basel Miami, all inspired by his portfolio of architecture.

all images courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Louis vuitton brings frank gehry’s handbag collection to paris

Frank Gehry’s white fish lamp in the Grand Palais is accompanied by a series of his many collaborations with Louis Vuitton, including his handbag collection at Art Basel Miami in 2023. In Paris, the Maison encases these bags in glass for visitors to see firsthand. They’re inspired by the architect’s style, which often exudes flowing lines and ballooned or reconfigured shapes. As visitors roam around, they catch sight of the Capucines Mini Blossom and Mini Puzzle bags and their colored surfaces, harking back to the architect’s take on transparency and botanical-plant shapes.

The other bags, namely the Capucines MM Concrete Pockets, BB Shimmer Haze, and BB Analog, take direct inspiration from the buildings he designed, including the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain; the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles; the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle; and the IAC Building in New York City. There’s a totemic animal symbol on the limited-edition collection, which appears on the handbags in varying forms. They seem like fish scales, as seen in his hanging lamp, or like an alligator, as seen in the handle of the BB Croc bag.

for Art Basel Paris 2024, Louis Vuitton celebrates Frank Gehry through an exhibition

‘Twisted trunk’ box version of the monogram canvas trunk

Louis Vuitton may be much more recognizable for their Monogram canvas trunk, and it’s a fated meeting between two icons in their respective fields the moment Frank Gehry designed his iteration of it in 2014. It’s the Celebrating Monogram collection, and the architect released it for the Maison’s 160th anniversary. 

The look of his Twisted Box trunk reveals exactly how the name sounds: it’s semi-deformed, on the verge of a twist. Visitors to Art Basel Paris and Grand Palais are afforded this Louis Vuitton trunk design, and when they have enough time to stay one of the nights between October 18th and 20th, they may be able to see the white fish lamp glow.

the exhibition showcases many of Frank Gehry’s works with and for Louis Vuitton

arch made of wooden slats around the fish lamp

the fish lamps have been shown in a Gagosian exhibition in New York

detailed view of the fish lamp, illuminated at night

the making of Capucines Mini Blossom handbag

detailed view of the paper crafting

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Capucines Mini Blossom | all studio images of the handbags by Philippe Lacomb, courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Capucines BB Shimmer Haze | all studio images of the handbags by Philippe Lacomb, courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Capucines BB Analog | all studio images of the handbags by Philippe Lacomb, courtesy of Louis Vuitton

project info:

architect: Frank Gehry | @frankgehry_official

maison: Louis Vuitton | @louisvuitton

event: Art Basel Paris 2024 | @artbasel

venue: Grand Palais, Paris, France

dates: October 18th to 20th, 2024