By Rachel Gallaher Photograph by Adrian Deweerdt
As seen in issue 58
At the end of June, the latest creation from master architect Frank Gehry—a twisting, geometric tower finished with 11,000 stainless-steel panels—will open its doors to the world. The eye-catching structure, which sits on a 27-acre campus at the Parc des Ateliers in Arles, France, was commissioned by the LUMA Foundation (a nonprofit arts organization focused on independent, contemporary artists) to house exhibition galleries and seminar rooms, along with the foundation’s research and archive facilities. The tower’s design, featuring an exterior of facets punctuated by protruding windows, was inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s famous Starry Night painting (which he completed nearby in 1889), while the cylindrical glass base from which it rises takes its cue from Arles’ Roman-era amphitheater.