Paris. The city of lights, love, fashion, and some of the world’s most extraordinary museums. Anyone else go a little crazy over museums?My first afternoon in the city I navigated to the auberge de jeunesse (youth hostel) where I was staying in the 9th arrondissement. Although exhausted, I resisted the urge to take a nap and instead changed, slapped on some red lipstick, and charged into the night. Okay...it was still light outside. The first place I visited actually isn’t so much a museum as it is a foundation which plays host to different expositions(exhibits).The Louis Vuitton Foundation is off the beaten path...literally. The route I took was through a park, around a horse stable, and through another park.
Idyllic little home I passed on my walk
I circled around another corner and got my first look at the foundation. Designed by Frank Gehry, the foundation is a work of art all by itself.
To launch the exhibition showcasing various African artists, there was an after-hours event complete with buffet, band, speakers, and live demonstrations of art in the making, I couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.
“I really like showing what shocks people. I know that people don’t like to tell the truth all the time, but what people don’t like to say is exactly what drives me to paint.” ”
One of the most moving exhibits in the museum was a video conversation between two South Africans discussing their different reactions to living in the post-Apartheid era. It was incredibly sobering, heart-wrenching, and yet hopeful. The exhibit featured a young man who vocalized his pain and anger toward the oppression he and his family felt. Opposite him was a young woman whose father had been killed by an authority during the apartheid era. She described her experience meeting the man who killed her father; how he apologized; and how she and her family expressed their forgiveness. If you’re in Paris over this summer, make an effort to see this really powerful exposition.
Travel Tip: Scan the website for any special events taking place; you get a two for one in enjoying the exhibits and an event on the same evening.