Have you ever been to La Fondation Louis Vuitton in le bois de Boulogne in Paris? If you haven’t, it’s a must (c’est incontournable)!

Bernard Arnaud, president of the group LVMH Moët Hennessy-Louis Vuitton had a vision which he shared ( qu’il partageait) with the famous architect, Frank Gehry, of a modern building unlike any others which would respect the woods, le bois de Boulogne, and the garden, le Jardin d’Acclimatation, just next to it, and at the same time the building would project itself (se projetterait) into the future.

The result is astonishing!

Martine, one of our native French tutors, takes us around the Fondation Vuitton


Frank Gehry took its inspiration (s’est inspiré) from a sailing boat, Susanne, built in 1911, he has managed with rigid glass and metal to transcribe ( transcrire)  the suppleness( la souplesse) and the shape ( le galbe) of sails blown by the wind.

You walk in a maze of glass structures, gardens, terraces and the reflection of trees and surrounding  buildings ( le reflet des arbres et des bâtiments environnants). You go round a corner and you suddenly see the sky, the Eiffel Tower, the skyscrapers ( les gratte-ciel) of la Défense… or you stare at an unusual site: an iceberg covered in white concrete in concave and convex shapes.

You find your way inside and you discover a huge auditorium surrounded by glass overlooking a cascade flowing down some steps, its water shimmering ( qui miroite) in the light. You walk out next to the cascade and you are now in a corridor with mirrors where lights and shapes bounce (rebondissent) and sparkle (scintillent).

You can immerse yourself in this building for hours!

There are short free guided tours of some parts of the building which are well-worth joining in.

You can also look out for exhibitions and concerts at La Fondation Louis Vuitton but the building in itself is a fantastic experience, and the entrance is only 12 Euros!

To revise your French or discover the language and culture with us, join us from September in Bristol and Bath.

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