Architectural journey Frank Gehry

While waiting for the "Ellsworth Kelly, Shapes and Colors, 1949-2015" and "Matisse, The Red Studio" exhibitions in May 2023, the Fondation is still open. While the galleries will be closed, you can visit the building at a special rate. Enjoy the "Architectural journey", our permanent exhibition on Frank Gehry's project for the Fondation.

Also on the programme, short guided tours and activities for children. Take the opportunity to discover the terraces and their panoramic view.

Bathed in natural daylight from a skylight, the exhibition begins in the Studio, which displays an original scale model around which visitors can walk before discovering two widescreen videos shot using drones.

Prepared in collaboration with Frank Gehry’s teams in Los Angeles, this permanent exhibition proposes an open itinerary for visitors. Like the building itself, which offers multiple possible itineraries, visitors are invited on an architectural journey that describes and explains the process that culminated in a building which is already recognised as a major new monument for Paris.

This combination creates a unique visual experience, offering a vision of the building’s striking beauty, as well as its technological complexity. The landings overlooking the “canyon” present key elements essential to understanding the building: construction, materials, design, context in Paris.

The landings can be accessed via the sole staircase where the steel structural walls have been left exposed, evoking the hull of a ship. Visitors also discover the initial sketches for the project, expressing the creative inspiration of the architect, who was awarded the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 1989.

Continue your visit by discovering the commissioned works, inspired by the architecture of Frank Gehry. Displayed in different areas of the building, inside and outside, they reflect the artists’ responses to the architecture of Frank Gehry. Olafur Eliasson, Adrián Villar Rojas and Katharina Grosse take possession of the place with light installation, decorative scheme, film, sculpture…

The Fondation can also be discovered in family. Various activities are suggested to explore the building and its different spaces in a narrative, playful and participative way. A storytelling tour and a games and sketches workshop can be booked online.