Sailing away: Fondation Louis Vuitton opens its new Frank Gehry-designed building

Conceived by Louis Vuitton chairman Bernard Arnault along with Gehry, the building resembles a ship with billowing sails made from glass and will act as a gallery space for contemporary art. But there’s little Louis Vuitton branding on show.

‘One of our first reactions to the brief was that we didn’t want to compete with Gehry’s creation.’ Lara Berg, brand designer at Base, the agency in charge of brand identity at the Fondation, said on its website. ‘It’s iconic unto itself. Rather than designing a signature for, or graphical translation of the building, we wanted to create something that would reflect the ideals and motives behind it.’

This ethos has meant that Louis Vuitton have kept its branding understated and the building is an expression of Louis Vuitton’s intent for the Fondation to be a cultural facilitator, allowing the artists on display to shine.

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