Louis Vuitton Opens La Galerie, A Private Museum In Paris

Louis Vuitton celebrates its heritage and expertise by opening its second private museum in the northwestern suburbs of Paris. The Louis Vuitton “Galerie” in Asnières.

The luxury fashion house has opened its first museum, the Frank Gehry-designed Louis Vuitton Foundation in the Bois de Boulogne, just a year ago. However its new creative, playful and timeless space, located at the historic former home of the Louis Vuitton family in France, has a more intimate feel.

WWD states that the 6,500-square-foot exhibition space is located on the historic Louis Vuitton grounds which also houses the workshops where the luxury brand still produces its most exclusive made-to-order items.

Spread over two floors are around 400 objects and documents from the house’s archive of 26,000 objects and 165,000 documents.

They range from couturier Paul Poiret’s trunk to items from the Vuitton family’s personal collection, including a pair of 17th-century Venetian women’s platform shoes.

The ground floor houses a selection of trunks and toiletry kits, alongside period product brochures, Vuitton correspondence and more modern designs, like a bag designed last year by artist Cindy Sherman.

Under the poplar wooden ceiling of first floor, visitors can experience a sense of drama that is reflected in unexpected juxtapositions, such as a Keepall bag from 1930 that belonged to Gaston-Louis Vuitton displayed next to a Bowling Vanity Tuffetage bag from creative director Nicolas Ghesquière’s fall 2014 show.