april-2011

BUST UP
IN THE BOIS
In an exclusive district of Paris, an architectural soap
opera is building towards a thrilling conclusion. It’s a
solid gold, will-they-won't-they storyline, starring angry
locals, the owner of Louis Vuitton and one of the most
famous architects in the world. By Chris Beanland
34 metropolitan
~ insider ~
less a love triangle, more an antipathy triangle, this story
has at its centre a controversial new building, which is
already under construction and was due to open last year.
The startling Fondation Louis Vuitton Pour La Création has
been designed by Frank Gehry, the man single-handedly
responsible for changing the fate of an entire city when he
opened his feted Basque branch of the Guggenheim in Bilbao
in 1997. But will the Fondation ever be completed?
Locals in well-heeled Neuilly are up in arms about
Gehry’s bold new £86m cultural centre, which has gained
the nickname the “Cloud of Glass”. Perhaps they fear being
overrun by tourists. At fi rst glance, one would perhaps expect
them to be in favour of the 45-metre-high structure. Aft er
all, it was commissioned as a vanity project by the equally
well-off Bernard Arnault. The richest man in France, Arnault
founded LVHM, the luxury goods company which owns the
blingiest brands from Moët et Chandon to Givenchy and Dior,
and he wants the Fondation to be his legacy.
In February a court order was obtained on a technicality
by the Coordination de Sauvegarde du Bois, a collective of
20 residents groups, to halt work. The organisation claims
the building obstructs an ancient right of way. Paris mayor
Bertrand Delanoë argues the site was previously occupied
by a shabby bowling alley and is pushing for construction
to restart as soon as possible.
The Fondation plans include a 340-seat auditorium for
live shows, a restaurant and gallery spaces where temporary
exhibitions of fashion, design, painting and contemporary art
will take place. The unique, asymmetrical structure will be
covered in glass: it’s a testament to Gehry’s love for big, bold,
controversial designs. The 82-year-old Canadian-American,
arguably the most famous architect in the world, is said to
be furious and distraught at the suspension of his project.
But the Bois is no stranger to controversy. The Mairie
de Paris (Paris’ city hall) has recently been trying to tidy
up the giant park’s image. It particularly wants to discourage
the rampant kerb-crawling that goes on within the park’s
boundaries at night.
Seasoned observers remain unmoved by the protests of
the Coordination de Sauvegarde du Bois. They point out that,
however much people might have argued against grand
projects in the past – the Eiff el Tower, the Louvre Pyramid,
the Pompidou Centre and countless others – in the end, if
Paris wants its grands projets, it almost always gets them.
Four hundred workers on the project are waiting to hear
their fate. Whether the Cloud will be built by the 2013
completion date originally envisaged is a moot point.
The intricacies of French law mean that the court order
must be overturned fi rst.
Echoing the fate of François Pinault’s contemporary
art gallery Île Seguin, which was moved to Venice due
to red tape, a disconsolate Arnault retorts: “Does France
really want to see all its foundations leave for Switzerland,
Italy or Germany?”
The weary Mairie de Paris urban aff airs deputy Anne
Hidalgo can only add: “This project will go ahead, with
respect for the law.” Time will tell.