Untitled (project for Echigo-Tsumari) by Paola Pivi is a monumental installation leaning against the Grand Palais, featuring an oversized, vividly colored ladder that stretches more than 20 meters. The inflatable artwork is on view until September 7th, 2026, as part of Euphoria: Art is in the Air, an exhibition by the Balloon Museum that marks the long-anticipated reopening of the Grand Palais in Paris and reanimates the iconic venue with color and a spirit of joyful disorientation. First shown in 2015 within the historic courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi in Florence (find designboom’s previous coverage here), the ladder reemerges here, positioned just outside the renovated historic building. Pivi’s intervention, playful and jarring, interrupts the classical symmetry of the space. Installed just outside the main volume of the building, the structure appears as an object entirely out of place – monumental, technicolor, and stripped of practical purpose. 

images courtesy of MASSIMODECARLO gallery unless stated otherwise

the colorful inflatable artwork subverts logic

Paola Pivi reimagines the familiar form of the ladder into something absurdly unfunctional, a surreal prop that invites a kind of metaphorical ascent. The Italian artist opens a moment of visual curiosity with a sudden disorientation that activates the senses and allows thought to drift beyond the strictures of logic. Untitled (project for Echigo-Tsumari) prompts viewers not to climb physically, but to elevate emotionally and imaginatively, led upward by color, form, and the destabilizing sense that reality has briefly lost its footing.

Known for transforming objects, animals, and spatial arrangements through paradox and scale shifts, Paola Pivi’s work challenges conventional meaning by subtly subverting context. Her interventions often draw from the everyday, ladders, animals, airplanes, then twist them into new dimensions where their usual roles no longer apply. This act of displacement gives her work a dreamlike, often humorous intensity. In the case of Untitled (project for Echigo-Tsumari), the artist abandons functionality in favor of wonder, projecting visitors into a temporary, emotionally resonant world governed less by gravity and more by possibility.

Untitled (project for Echigo-Tsumari) by Paola Pivi leans against the Grand Palais

Balloon Museum brings ‘Euphoria: Art is in the Air’ in paris

Following the success of Pop Air in 2022, the Balloon Museum returns to Paris with a new exhibition and a renewed sense of scale. Curated by Valentino Catricalà in collaboration with Antonella Di Lullo, Euphoria: Art is in the Air brings together 20 inflatable and immersive artworks by a range of international artists, including Philippe Parreno, Camille Walala, Ryan Gander, Martin Creed, alongside Paola Pivi. While continuing the Balloon Museum’s playful and participatory approach, the exhibition introduces an entirely different body of work from its previous edition, transforming the freshly renovated Grand Palais into a space for visual experimentation and public engagement. Two additional works by globally recognized artists will be revealed later in the show’s run, contributing to the evolving nature of this large-scale installation program.

the inflatable artwork is part of the Euphoria: Art is in the Air exhibition

Paola Pivi’s work challenges conventional meaning by subtly subverting context | image courtesy of Balloon Museum

Pivi’s intervention, playful and jarring, interrupts the classical symmetry of the space

the structure appears as an object entirely out of place

Paola Pivi reimagines the familiar form of the ladder

transforming the freshly renovated Grand Palais into a space for visual experimentation 

project info:

name: Untitled (project for Echigo-Tsumari)

artist: Paola Pivi | @paolapivi

location: Grand Palais | @le_grand_palais, Paris, France

exhibition: Euphoria: Art is in the Air

curators: Valentino Catricalà with Antonella Di Lullo

dates: June 6th – September 7th, 2025

organizer: Balloon Museum | @balloon_museum

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After four years of renovation, the Grand Palais in Paris fully reopens following a major transformation led by Chatillon Architectes (find designboom’s previous coverage here). The project, which began with the unveiling of the restored Nave for the 2024 Olympics, is the most extensive restoration in the building’s 120-year history. Spanning 77,000 square meters, the work improves public access, brings back long-concealed architectural elements, and adapts the historic structure to meet modern cultural and technical needs. During the Centre Pompidou’s own renovation period, its exhibitions will be temporarily housed in the newly restored galleries of the Grand Palais.

images © Charly Broyez for Chatillon Architectes, unless stated otherwise

Chatillon Architectes reveals the true identity of the building

Paris-based Chatillon Architectes focused on restoring the original layout of the building, which had become fragmented over time. They studied over 3,000 archival plans and drawings to guide the work, aiming to respect the original design of the monument while updating it for contemporary use. New exhibition spaces, restaurants, and circulation routes are added, with over 40 elevators and 30 staircases introduced to make the building fully accessible.

‘The Grand Palais is a powerful symbol of France’s cultural legacy – iconic and instantly recognisable, yet so much of its beauty has been hidden for decades,’ says François Chatillon, founder of Chatillon Architectes. ‘We didn’t set out to reinvent it, but through a process of revelation we wanted to uncover its identity. This renovation was about bringing it back to life, staying true to its spirit while opening it up for the future and giving the monument back to the people.’

Built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, the Grand Palais was originally designed by a team of architects led by Charles Girault. It combined Beaux-Arts architecture with then-revolutionary materials like steel and glass. In later years, parts of the building were damaged, altered, or closed off, reducing access and hiding many of its key features.

The renovation reopens the original central axis, allowing visitors to move freely from Square Jean Perrin to the Seine. This new connection forms what the architects call a ‘place centrale’, an open area created by combining the Rotonde d’Antin, the Salon Seine, and other interior spaces. One major change was the removal of a wall separating the Nave from the Palais de la Découverte, restoring a sightline that hadn’t been visible since 1937.

the Grand Palais in Paris fully reopens to the public | image © Antoine Mercusot for Chatillon Architectes

Centre Pompidou Moves Exhibits to Renovated Galleries

Lighting and technology enhancements throughout the galleries have transformed them into versatile spaces for a wide range of exhibitions. The Centre Pompidou will use these spaces while its own museum is being renovated. Other public areas include a mezzanine-level café, Le Réséda, led by Michelin-starred chef Thierry Marx, and a new brasserie, Le Grand Café, overlooking the Champs-Élysées gardens with interiors by Joseph Dirand.

Interior partitions are replaced with glass to bring in light and expose the building’s original proportions. Every element, from doors over six meters tall to statues, ornaments, and 150 windows, was carefully restored. ‘At Chatillon Architectes, we strive to revitalize historic landmarks, such as the Grand Palais, as both emblematic monuments and vibrant cultural spaces,’ shares Simon Chatillon, partner of Chatillon Architectes. ‘We approach cultural projects with a strong sense of place, developing thoughtful and innovative interventions that bring renewed energy and help define their future.’

The gardens surrounding the building have also been redesigned, visually connecting to the nearby Champs-Élysées. More than 60,000 plants from 250 species were added to support biodiversity, using a rainwater-fed irrigation system built into the renovated roof. A new pedestrian entrance at Square Jean Perrin replaces a former road and improves the site’s integration with the city.

Chatillon Architectes’ project is the most extensive restoration in the building’s 120-year history

the work brings back long-concealed architectural elements

adapting the historic structure to meet modern cultural and technical needs

Chatillon Architectes focused on restoring the original layout of the building

new exhibition spaces, restaurants, and circulation routes are added

40 elevators and 30 staircases introduced to make the building fully accessible

the centre pompidou will use these spaces while its own museum is being renovated

the renovation reopens the original central axis | image © Antoine Mercusot for Chatillon Architectes

lighting and technology enhancements transform the galleries | image © Antoine Mercusot for Chatillon Architectes

interior partitions are replaced with glass to bring in light | image © Antoine Mercusot for Chatillon Architectes

the gardens surrounding the building have also been redesigned

project info:

name: Grand Palais | @le_grand_palais Restoration
architect: Chatillon Architectes | @chatillonarchitectes
location: Paris, France

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Ernesto Neto has filled the Nef Nord of Paris‘s Grand Palais with a vast, handwoven installation of bark, earth, spice, and fiber. Nosso Barco Tambor Terra invites visitors into a soft and sensory architecture, suspended beneath the glass and iron canopy recently restored by Chatillon Architectes (see designboom’s coverage here). The structure is meant to be entered, touched, and heard. Inside, rhythm and movement unfold slowly through texture and breath.

The woven installation is shaped in looping crochet, cords, and braided skins that hang and seem to grow downward. While Neto’s forms appear intuitive and improvised, they hold their own internal order. The installation connects body to earth, rhythm to breath, and matter to movement.

Ernesto Neto fills the Grand Palais with a woven structure | image © GrandPalaisRmn 2025 / Photo Didier Plow

Rhythm as Structure within the grand palais

There are instruments hidden inside artist Ernesto Neto’s work at the Grand Palais. Some are barely visible, folded into the skins of the structure like bones. Others invite touch directly. On designated days, musicians coax out their voices in performances that feel less like concerts than ceremonies. Drums from across continents — Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America — respond to each other and to the visitors’ presence. The sound emerges from within the piece, resonating through it like a pulse through a body.

This immersive environment forms the center of Nosso Barco Tambor Terra, though the boundaries remain open. Around the structure, the Grand Palais hosts ongoing activations: open conversations, workshops, live music, and play. A Brazilian café serves as a gathering point. The surrounding programming extends Neto’s vision outward, into dialogue and shared attention.

visitors can interact with the organic materials | image © GrandPalaisRmn 2025 / Photo Didier Plow

a woven membrane for gathering

Ernesto Neto speaks in a language of materials that resist polish. Bark and raw fiber, hand-woven mesh, suspended spice bundles — everything points to manual labor, to knowledge passed down through the body. The space becomes a collective membrane, a place where traditions drift together, not diluted but echoed. His approach to scale is as much emotional as physical. 

The setting amplifies this intention. After several years of restoration led by Chatillon Architectes, the Grand Palais reopens with renewed clarity just in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The freshly restructured envelope now plays host to something profoundly unmechanical, unhurried. The juxtaposition feels deliberate. Neto’s project is one of slowness and attention, rooted in the body and the ground beneath it.

Presented in collaboration with Lisbon’s MAAT and as part of the France–Brazil Season 2025, this exhibition expands the idea of architecture beyond construction. Neto frames it as something we move through with care, something that listens back. It makes room for rest and for ceremony and leaves traces in the senses. And in the center of Paris, it becomes a vessel for learning and for dreaming.

drums inside the work are played during live shows | image © GrandPalaisRmn 2025 / Photo Didier Plow

the piece hosts workshops, concerts, and communal events | image © designboom

materials reflect ancestral craft and manual labor | image © GrandPalaisRmn 2025 / Photo Didier Plow

the restored Grand Palais offers a luminous setting | image © designboom

the project is part of the France–Brazil Season 2025 | image © designboom

the installation is co-produced by MAAT in Lisbon | image © designboom

project info:

name: Nosso Barco Tambor Terra

architect: Ernesto Neto | @ernestonetoart

location: Grand Palais, Paris, France

event: France–Brazil Season 2025

collaboration: MAAT

photography: © designboom, © GrandPalaisRmn 2025 / Photo Didier Plow

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On arrival at the Grand Palais in Paris, the contrast is immediate. Beneath the glass canopy of the Salon d’Honneur, a sweeping, pink, textile structure cuts across the historic setting with the ease of something entirely new. This is Fun Palace — an architectural and curatorial experiment designed by Studio Ossidiana and staged by the Centre Pompidou during its five-year closure. Named after Cedric Price’s legendary unbuilt project, the interactive installation rethinks how we gather, how we share space, and how collective life can be shaped by design.

Jean-Max Colard, Head of Programming at the Centre Pompidou, frames the event in both spatial and political terms: ‘We have this idea to explore a new form of assembly. It’s the pleasure of gathering, but also how we speak, how we come together in a space.’ The ten-day program at the Grand Palais, he explains, becomes a living laboratory, where each day is imagined as a room in an evolving architecture of thought, action, and intimacy.

The decision to invoke Cedric Price was not incidental. The original Fun Palace, imagined in the 1960s, proposed an adaptable cultural complex shaped by users, not hierarchies. Though never built, its ideas remain foundational, particularly for institutions like the Centre Pompidou. ‘Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers studied Cedric Price,’ says Colard. ‘This is a way of relaunching that utopian project.’

Studio Ossidiana transforms the Grand Palais into a soft, inhabitable structure | image © Centre Pompidou

soft palace: a textile landscape for collective life

Studio Ossidiana’s contribution for the Centre Pompidou installation, titled The Soft Palace, acts as both landscape and stage. It folds and spills across the floor of the Grand Palais like a garment, offering shelter, invitation, and unpredictability. Made of layered pink felt, the installation encourages barefoot wandering, reclining, and spontaneous use. Its informality is deliberate.

‘It became a sort of encampment,’ say Alessandra Covini and Giovanni Bellotti of Rotterdam-based, Italian practice Studio Ossidiana. ‘The temporary home of the Centre Pompidou while it’s being renovated. Because of time and labor constraints, all the elements are made of rolls. These can extend to accommodate changing programs.’ Visitors drift between talks and performances, often lingering in the folds of the structure itself, part of its spatial choreography.

The soft materiality is central. ‘We imagined a place where you could play, listen, discuss, or find a moment of privacy a few steps from a crowd,’ the studio adds. ‘We hope every visitor becomes both actor and spectator in the choreography of its daily life.’

The Soft Palace invites barefoot exploration where visitors can recline and gather | image © Centre Pompidou

virtually explore the grand palais with ‘nightcrawlers’ game

Elsewhere in the Grand Palais, another form of architecture unfolds — this time virtual. Nightcrawlers, a video game by artist Alice Bucknell, maps the building through the sensory logics of bats and flowers. ‘It’s a pollination simulator,’ Bucknell explains. ‘You’re either the bat or the flower, navigating underground root networks or flying through the halls. You collect charms using echolocation or electric pulses. Each one makes a sound. You and your partner play them back to each other like a musical score.’

The game is multiplayer and cooperative by design. ‘You can’t play alone,’ Bucknell says. ‘It’s about becoming attuned to someone else, without words. Pollination becomes a kind of duet.’ As players succeed in these musical exchanges, the architecture changes. French formal gardens slowly give way to wild, overgrown ecologies. ‘The more you cooperate, the more the palace transforms.‘

Formafantasma and Fernando Laposse contribute works that reframe relationships between material and society | image © Centre Pompidou

Amid these interactive works is a more meditative zone: a small, focused presentation of design pieces from the Centre Pompidou’s collection, curated by Olivier Zeitoun. These recent acquisitions underscore design’s capacity to assemble both materials and people. ‘We called it The Assembly of Objects,’ Zeitoun notes. ‘Each project here is the result of a collective process, either in how it was made or what it represents.’

Among them is FormaFantasma’s Cambio, which interrogates the timber industry through material storytelling, Fernando Laposse’s Corn Kumiko Cabinet, and Mash.T Deign Studio‘s Hlabisa Bench, a tribute to Zulu craftsmanship. Also on view are works by ibiyanε, whose poetic forms draw on diasporic memory and shared experience. ‘These objects are sensitive to ecology, memory, and postcolonial narratives,’ says Zeitoun. ‘Design becomes a tool for connection, for transmission.’

While the project is inspired by Cedric Price’s Fun Palace, this version is more tactile, more embodied. You sit in it. You nap in it. You echolocate in it. You play. Its strength lies in what it offers without prescription, It is an open architecture shaped by those who use it. ‘Cities aren’t born in beautiful solitude,’ says Alessandra Covini. ‘They emerge from conflict, negotiation, the mess of being together.’

Olivier Zeitoun curates a design assembly that functions as a tool of connection and knowledge transmission | image © designboom

Jean-Max Colard sees Fun Palace as an experiment in how we share space | image © designboom

with the two-player game, players explore a virtual Grand Palais | image © Centre Pompidou

Fun Palace builds on Cedric Price’s legendary unrealized vision | image © designboom

Studio Ossidiana | image © designboom

project info:

exhibition title: Fun Palace

location: Grand Palais | @le_grand_palais

on view: June 6th — 15th, 2025

host: Centre Pompidou | @centrepompidou

installation design: Studio Ossidiana | @studio_ossidiana

video game designer: Alice Bucknell | @alicebucknell

curators: Jean-Max Colard, Joséphine Huppert, Alice Pialoux, assisted by Daphné Carreras,
curators of The Assembly of Objects: Olivier Zeitoun, in collaboration with Iris Carton Eldin
head of design and industrial prospective: Marie-Ange Brayer
collection attachée, design department: Mathilde Vallée
production manager: Barbara Kugler
sceneographer: Celine Coffin
space manager: Charlotte Cochelin
artworks manager: Nina Genonceau
audiovisual management: Alexandre Lebugle,
stage management: François Pegalajar, Robin Vieville, Fabrice Pleynet
producer of The Soft Palace: Arguzia
interpreters: Marguerite Capelle, Caroline Ferrard, Adèle Hattemer, Yves Tixier
partnership coordination: Anaïs Izard, Camille Gorret

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Art Paris, the leading spring event for modern and contemporary art is making a grand return! From 3-6 april, 2025, the 27th edition is reclaiming Paris‘ iconic Grand Palais, originally built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, is brought to its former glory after a four-year renovation. The architectural masterpiece of the Belle Époque once again welcomes 170 leading French and international galleries, expanding the art fair’s reach and ambition. With a focus on artistic discovery and innovation, Art Paris 2025 promises an exceptional lineup of curated exhibitions, thematic tours, and prestigious awards that celebrate both established and emerging talent within the global art scene.

Art Paris is an inclusive art fair that is open to all mediums, launching in 2025 the French Design Art Edition a sector focusing on design and the contemporary decorative arts. Get your tickets here! 

for its 27th edition, Art Paris 2025 makes a triumphant return to the Grand Palais from April 3-6 | all images courtesy of Art Paris

modern and contemporary art fill up the iconic Grand Palais

Art Paris has long been recognized as a key event that bridges regional and international artistic expressions. With 60% of exhibitors from France and 40% from abroad, the fair maintains its distinct identity as both a hub for the French gallery ecosystem and a window into the global art landscape. The 2025 edition introduces significant new initiatives, including the return of ‘Immortal,’ a thematic exhibition dedicated to figurative painting in France, curated by art historian Amélie Adamo and MO.CO. director Numa Hambursin. Simultaneously, ‘Out of Bounds,’ led by independent curator Simon Lamunière, explores the hybridization of contemporary artistic practices, emphasizing issues of identity, culture, and geography.

after a four-year renovation, this architectural masterpiece of the Belle Époque once again welcomes 170 leading French and international galleries

Figurative painting & contemporary hybridization

‘Immortal: A Focus on Figurative Painting in France’ expands on its 2023 edition by showcasing 30 artists across multiple generations, linking historical influences with contemporary expressions. The selection highlights the continued evolution of figurative painting in a digital and abstract-dominated era, reaffirming its relevance and dynamism in the European art scene. Meanwhile, ‘Out of Bounds’ presents a diverse international lineup of artists, addressing themes of displacement, belonging, and the merging of artistic disciplines through a carefully curated thematic journey.

Art Paris 2025 also sees an expansion of the ‘Promises’ sector, occupying the Grand Palais’ balconies and featuring 25 young galleries established less than a decade ago. This initiative encourages emerging talent while maintaining affordability for exhibitors. Additionally, Art Paris continues its commitment to solo presentations, offering 26 monographic exhibitions that allow in-depth exploration of individual artists’ work.

Art Paris 2025 promises an exceptional lineup of curated exhibitions, thematic tours, and prestigious awards that celebrate both established and emerging talent within the global art scene | © Marguo

Two prestigious prizes further elevate the fair’s dedication to artistic excellence. The BNP Paribas Banque Privée Prize, with a €40,000 award, honors an artist from the ‘Immortal’ selection, while the newly launched ‘Her Art Prize,’ created in partnership with Marie Claire and Boucheron, awards €30,000 to a woman artist whose work challenges artistic boundaries. These initiatives reinforce Art Paris’ role in supporting both contemporary and historically underrepresented voices.

Beyond the fair itself, Art Paris 2025 integrates a city-wide VIP program, featuring exclusive access to 31 cultural events and exhibitions at major Parisian institutions. With a growing commitment to sustainability, Art Paris continues its pioneering approach by applying life cycle analysis (LCA) to reduce its environmental impact. As Paris undergoes a cultural renaissance, this year’s edition of Art Paris solidifies its reputation as a leading force in contemporary art, offering visitors an unparalleled experience at the intersection of heritage and artistic innovation.

the fair has long been recognized as a key event that bridges regional and international artistic expressions | © Claude Bernard

the 2025 edition introduces significant new initiatives | © Lara Sedbon

Art Paris continues its commitment to solo presentations, offering 26 monographic exhibitions | © Claude Bernard

the event features 60% of exhibitors from France and 40% from abroad | © Lahumière

the fair maintains its distinct identity as both a hub for the French gallery ecosystem and a window into the global art landscape | © Esther Schipper

Art Paris is reclaiming Paris‘ iconic Grand Palais, originally built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition

© Richard Saltoun

© Anne-Laure Buffard

© Capazza

beyond the fair itself, Art Paris 2025 integrates a city-wide VIP program, featuring exclusive access to 31 cultural events

as Paris undergoes a cultural renaissance, the 27th edition of Art Paris solidifies its reputation as a leading force in contemporary art

project info:

name: Art Paris 2025 | @artparisartfair

location: Grand Palais, Paris, France

dates: April 3-6, 2025

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In her latest architectural photography series, Danica O. Kus captures the transformation of the iconic Grand Palais in Paris, casting her lens on the restoration led by Chatillon Architectes. Her images reveal the details of the renovation and how the project seeks to breathe new life into the Beaux-Arts landmark while addressing needs for accessibility, sustainability, and technical functionality.

Built as a symbol of the 1900 Paris Exposition, the monument combines glass and steel architecture with intricate facades that have become timeless emblems of Parisian culture. Kus’ photography offers a unique perspective of the restoration process, revealing renewed perspectives. This series is released as Paris Photo 2024 marks the return of the fair to the Grand Palais, welcoming artists and visitors to experience the renewed interiors of the building.

all images by Danica O. Kus

Chatillon Architectes revive original perspectives of the building

Originally designed as a temporary exhibition hall by Henri Deglane, Albert Louvet, Albert Thomas, and Charles Girault, the Grand Palais was envisioned as a striking design of glass and steel. Over a century later, French firm Chatillon Architectes undertook its restoration, reinstating the original perspectives of the building, improving circulation, and strengthening its structure. Using a detailed 3D model crafted from archived plans, the team has revived the axial views and vast spaces of the building, revealing a coherent design and open layout. ‘The Grand Palais is unlike any other monument. Its history makes it a place able to undergo transformation and adaptation—qualities that must be reconciled with the restoration project,’ shares the team. Completed in time for the Paris 2024 Olympics, this restoration, captured in this series by the Slovenian-born architectural photographer Danica O. Kus, reestablishes the Grand Palais as a cultural venue, hosting events like Paris Fashion Week, Art Basel, and Paris Photo 2024.

in her latest architectural photography series, Danica O. Kus captures the transformation of the iconic Grand Palais

landscape and interior upgrades meet the visitors’ needs

Chatillon Architectes also focuses on unifying the layout of the Grand Palais, revealing the interconnected spaces and illuminating the expansive halls. The architects preserve the National Galleries designed by French architect Pierre Vivien and add contemporary features like insulated flooring in the Nave, the central part of the building, for climate control and sustainable operation. New pathways connect the interior spaces, allowing visitors to traverse from Square Jean Perrin to the Seine, rediscovering the architectural grandeur of the Nave.

Beyond physical renovations, the project aims to enhance the cultural significance of the Grand Palais. Restored interior volumes, along with a children’s education center in the former horse-riding ring, reflect a commitment to inclusivity and community engagement. The redesigned gardens and urban integration result in a public space that resonates with the evolving needs of its visitors.

her images reveal the details of the renovation

built as a symbol of the 1900 Paris Exposition, the monument combines glass and steel architecture

Kus’ photography offers a unique perspective of the restoration process

Grand Palais was originally designed as a temporary exhibition hall

Chatillon Architectes reinstates the original perspectives of the building

using a detailed 3D model crafted from archived plans, the team has revived the axial views of the building

completed in time for the Paris 2024 Olympics

project info:

name: Grand Palais Restoration
architect: Chatillon Architectes | @chatillonarchitectes
location: Paris, France
photographer: Danica O. Kus | @danica_o_kus_photography

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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

inside Grand Palais during Art Basel Paris 2024

the making of Capucines Mini Blossom handbag

detailed view of the paper crafting

the exhibition is on view until October 20th, 2024

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

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images © jad sylla photography | @jfsylla

the wilmotte & associés-designed grand palais ephémère is realized in paris with an expressive structure and materiality. the forty-four monumental timber arches are celebrated and expressed, wrapped in a translucent textile skin. this modular strategy further contributes to the project’s ease of construction — it was completed in only three months time. further, the use of sustainable materials and a structure that is easy to disassemble renders the grand palais a symbol of contemporary values. while its form echoes the 19th century ideas of grandeur seen through the grand palais and even london’s crystal palace, the design strategies are wholly in line with the environmental imperatives of the 21st century.

project info: 

project title: grand palais ephémère

architecture: wilmotte & associés

location: paris, france

developer & contractor: GL events GPE

engineers: chabanne ingénierie

etudes acoustiques: lamoureux acoustics

control and coordination: socotec construction

photography: © jad sylla photography | @jfsylla

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impressions of art paris 2018 / all images © marc domage

with a focus of the 2019 edition on women, art paris offers a critical overview of the work of female artists in france from the post-war period to the present day. AWARE (archives of women artists, research and exhibitions) will curate 25 projects chosen from the exhibits of participating galleries, and divide the selection into four themes: abstraction, the feminist avant-garde, image and theatricality. AWARE, an organization which aims to produce, index and distribute information about 20th century women artists, has also been invited to write a critical essay that situates each artist’s work in a historical context.

meanwhile, numerous participating galleries have chosen to put women artists on show: isabelle plat has a solo show at galerie eric mouchet; pierrette bloch at galerie véronique smagghe; and belgian artist anne de gelas at SAGE paris.

as well as exploring the role of women artists, art paris 2019 surveys latin american art from the 1960s to the present day. as part of southern stars: an exploration of latin american art, curated by valentina locatelli, approximately twenty european, asian and latin american galleries present an ensemble of 60 argentinean, brazilian, chilean, columbian, cuban, mexican, peruvian and venezuelan artists.

concurrently, galleries spread throughout the fair’s different sectors are offering a historical and contemporary journey of latin america’s art scenes. with the theme in mind, numerous particiapants are showcasing geometric abstraction from the 60s and 70s, including work by carlos cruz-diez, ivan contreras brunet, dario perez flores, and marino di teana. galería freijo will highlight two historical figures from the mexican scene — abstract sculptor and co-founder of stridentism german cueto, and felipe ehrenberg, a leading light in the field of mexican conceptual art in the 1970s.

xin dong cheng gallery will organize a group exhibition around the subject of the cuban scene, bringing together six artists from different generations: manuel mendive, raúl martínez, adonis flores, rené francisco rodriguez, michel mirabal and yunier hernández figueroa. meanwhile, nosco and galerie younique will showcase the young peruvian scene with emblematic figures includin jose carlos martinat and luis martinat, two brothers who are famous for their installations that question the past and the present of post-colonial societies. finally, galería ethra is showing three artists — maria josé de la macorra, alejandro pintado and maximo gonzalez — who are presenting their vision of the mexican megalopolis.

large-scale installations throughout the grand palais will further reflect on the theme and unite. in front of the entrance , visitors are welcomed by a monumental installation by mexican artist betsabeé romero, which evokes a requiem in memory of the car. in the nave, the CCK from buenos aires, in collaboration with the institut français d’argentine, presents ‘el verdadero jardín nunca es verde’, an installation by argentinean artist nicola costantino inspired by hieronymus bosch’s garden of earthly delights. on the south and north walls of the nave, three artists — marcelo brodsky from argentina, colombian artist stinkfish and ricardo rendón from mexico — will produce monumental compositions.

art paris 2019 runs from april 4 – 7, 2019 at grand palais. see visitor information and a full list of participating galleries on art paris’ official page here.

see more about the 2019 edition of art paris here

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this gigantic elliptical mirror floats within space

the installation forms a sensory experience rather than a visual one. with the mirrored effect, the ground and horizon move slowly until they disappear, making you lose your mark. french artist vincent leroy slows down time and displays his magical mechanism, using the same technology as his boreal halo: inflatable with steel cables in slow rotation.

example inside the ‘grand palais’ in paris

leroy proposes a new monumental effect without a connection to the ground. these exhibitions plunge visitors into the universe of the artist, a reflection on our relationship with speed and the distance with reality — essential in today’s world. a search for the natural rhythm of its own internal harmony.

with the mirror effect, the ground and horizon move slowly till they disappear, making you lose your mark

the french artist creates surprising deformations in a soft, steady and continuous flow. reality becomes as light as a breath — a visual and sensorial caress. leroy’s work navigates between poetry, technology and freedom of spirit. he savors slow revolutions, taking his time, breaking down each gesture. his installations are not only visual but experiential – engaging and connecting mind, body and soul.

good mix between the installation and space

an enigmatic atmosphere, the ‘pebble’ looks to be levitating above the ground with a slow movement

inflatable, steel cables in slow rotation and very low-tech configuration

with the inflatable technology possibility in different dimension for different space

like in cloth design, the constraint of the material structures the geometry of the volume

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: apostolos costarangos | designboom

The post vincent leroy’s grand palais mirror proposal makes you lose your mark appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.