Last October, as the autumn leaves painted Paris in warm hues, I found myself standing beneath the magnificent glass dome of the Grand Palais, witnessing a meeting of two iconic forces: Louis Vuitton and Frank Gehry. The 2024 edition of Art Basel Paris transformed the historic venue into a temple of artistic collaboration, celebrating two decades of partnership between the prestigious fashion house and the legendary architect.
The exhibition’s centerpiece immediately captured my attention—Gehry’s monumental white fish lamp suspended from the Balcon d’Honneur. As dusk fell, the structure began to glow with an ethereal luminescence, casting intricate shadows across the palace’s ornate interior. Surrounding this floating masterpiece was a wooden arch constructed of geometric slats, creating a dialogue between rigid lines and Gehry’s characteristic fluid forms. I couldn’t help but recall seeing a similar fish lamp at Gagosian New York years before, but here in the Grand Palais, the scale and setting elevated the piece to something truly transcendent.
Moving through the exhibition space, I discovered the breadth of Gehry’s collaboration with Louis Vuitton. Glass cases displayed his handbag collection, which I remembered causing quite a stir when unveiled at Art Basel Miami in 2023. Up close, the craftsmanship was even more impressive—the Capucines Mini Blossom and Mini Puzzle bags with their vibrant colored surfaces seemed to capture Gehry’s fascination with transparency and botanical shapes.
What struck me most was how the bags functioned as miniature architectural models. The Capucines MM Concrete Pockets, BB Shimmer Haze, and BB Analog were unmistakably inspired by Gehry’s most famous buildings. Standing before them, I could see echoes of the undulating titanium curves of the Guggenheim Bilbao, the sailing forms of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the colorful fragmentation of Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture, and the icy facades of New York’s IAC Building.
The recurring motif of fish scales—visible both in the hanging lamp above and subtly integrated into the handbags below—created a sense of thematic cohesion throughout the exhibition. The BB Croc bag’s handle particularly caught my eye, its alligator-like texture both functional and sculptural.
Before leaving, I lingered before the “Twisted Trunk.” Created for Louis Vuitton’s 160th anniversary in 2014, this reimagined Monogram canvas trunk perfectly encapsulated Gehry’s approach to design—the familiar made suddenly, thrillingly unfamiliar. The semi-deformed structure seemed frozen in mid-twist, challenging our perceptions of stability and form while remaining instantly recognizable as a Louis Vuitton piece.
As night fell over the Grand Palais, I stayed to watch Gehry’s fish lamp illuminate the space. In that moment, surrounded by objects that blurred the boundaries between fashion, architecture, and art, I understood the true nature of the exhibition: not merely a display of luxury goods, but a profound homage to a creative partnership that has consistently pushed the boundaries of what design can be.