Luma Arles tower by Frank Gehry – Photo by ©Adrian Deweerdt.
Architecture – The LUMA Foundation announced the opening of LUMA Arles on 26 June 2021. The 27-acre creative campus at the Parc des Ateliers in the city of Arles will bring together artists and innovators of the future. At its heart is Frank Gehry’s spectacular 15.000 square metre tower.
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Drone view of Luma Arles campus – Photo by ©Dronimages.
“We wanted to evoke the local, from Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ to the soaring rock clusters you find in the region. Its central drum echoes the plan of the Roman amphitheatre.” Said Frank Gehry. The LUMA Arles tower will house exhibition galleries, project spaces and the LUMA’s archive and research facilities, alongside workshop and seminar rooms, an auditorium and a café.
Luma Arles tower by Frank Gehry – Photo by ©Adrian Deweerdt.
The Arles project is the brainchild of Maja Hoffmann, who established the LUMA Foundation in 2004, as a leading international philanthropic organisation. The Foundation focuses on the direct relationships between art, culture, environmental issues, human rights, education and research.
Maja Hoffmann, Founder and President of the LUMA Foundation, said: “There is one driving-metaphor for LUMA at the Parc des Ateliers: that of a living organism. As such the balance between form and function determines its viability. It is about composing a polyphonic score where everything is ordered, yet where everything is possible.”
Aereal view of Luma Arles campus – Photo by ©Herve Hote.
The campus is also home to seven former railway factories, four of which have been renovated by Selldorf Architects as exhibition and performance spaces. The surrounding gardens and public park are designed by landscape architect, Bas Smets.
Maja Hoffmann with Frank Gehry – Photo by ©Annie Leibovitz.
- All photos: courtesy of the LUMA Foundation.
