I went to see the David Hockney exhibit in the Louis Vuitton Foundation’s Frank Gehry building in the Bois de Boulogne park. There’s a lot going on in that sentence – let me break it down.
Bois de Boulogne Park
This park covers 2088 acres and has a long and storied history. It was home to several monastic communities in the 12th century, was a battle ground during the Hundred Years War and, in the early 18th century, wealthy and important women retired to a convent on the grounds.
In 1852, the land was ceded to the city of Paris by the Emperor Napoleon III to be turned into a public park. Today it includes a zoo and amusement park, gardens, two tracks for horse racing and the Stade Roland Garros where the French Open is held each year. It also includes the Louis Vuitton building which will house the David Hockney exhibit for a few more months.
Louis Vuitton Foundation and Frank Gehry Building
The Louis Vuitton Foundation’s mission is to make art and culture accessible to everyone. It hosts exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, it commissions artists, and stages concerts, conferences and film screenings.
The impressve building was designed by renowned Canadian-American architect, Frank Gehry, and consists of 12 glass sails, 12,000 sq m. of floor space, 11 exhibition galleries and more.
“To reflect our constantly changing world, we wanted to create a building that would evolve according to the time and the light in order to give the impression of something ephemeral and continually changing”. – Frank Gehry
David Hockney Exhibit
I was only slightly familiar with David Hockney’s work before I went to the exhibit and was surprised by his range of style. I don’t (yet) have an eye for art, but from his early sketches to his iPad drawings and everything in between, every room left me feeling like I was looking at a different artist.
I made an exception to my ‘no camera’ rule – I took a photo of his largest work to give a sense of the scale. Bigger Trees Near Warter took my breath away. It’s 15 x 40 feet and comprised of 50 panels. He painted each one on site near the village of Warter, England, completing the entire piece a three week period. The logistics, alone, are impressive, never mind the image itself.
I listened to a interview with Hockney before I went to the exhibit. He said he likes to paint things that can’t be described with words. Like water. This is one of his more famous paintings – I’m in awe of the transparency of the water. I wondered what words I would use to describe it and came up empty.
It was such a treat to see this exhibit. If you’re in Paris this summer, I highly recommend it. The exhibit closes on August 31, 2025.
This day resulted in an easy but long metro ride and a total of 10 km of walking. At the end of the day, my legs were wobbly and my feet were on fire, but my heart was so full.