The Observatory of Light

In close dialogue with Frank Gehry’s building, the installation by Daniel Buren is installed across the glass ‘sails’ of the Fondation Louis Vuitton building in Paris.

In line with Fondation Louis Vuitton’s commitment to contemporary creation and encouragement of innovative encounters with its architecture, as of 11 May 2016 the Fondation Louis Vuitton presents a temporary work by Daniel Buren.

Developed in close dialogue with the building by Frank Gehry – whose architecture serves as an inspiration to artists – The Observatory of Light is installed across the glass ‘sails’, the emblematic feature of the building. The twelve ‘sails’, formed of 3,600 pieces of glass, are covered by a staggering array of coloured filters that are in turn punctuated, at equal distances from one another, by alternating white and blank stripes perpendicular to the ground. The thirteen selected colours make coloured forms appear and disappear, ever-changing with the time of day and the season.

Through a play of colours, projections, reflections, transparencies and contrasts, both inside and outside, Daniel Buren shows this building in a new light. The interior spaces and various terraces of the Foundation provide an unmatched perspective for visitors to view and admire this spectacular installation in all of its subtlety, especially under the sun.