The LUMA Foundation opened LUMA Arles on June 26, a 27-acre creative campus at the Parc des Ateliers in Arles. The Arles project is the brainchild of Maja Hoffmann, who established the LUMA Foundation in 2004. LUMA Arles will house exhibition galleries, project spaces, and the LUMA’s research and archive facilities, alongside workshop and seminar rooms.
With a tower designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, the twisted geometric structure brings together artists and innovators of the future. “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 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.
Alongside the construction and renovation works, LUMA Arles features over 45 artists and designers in the opening programme, with special new commissions by major international artists, including Etel Adnan, Ólafur Elíasson, Koo Jeong A and Rirkrit Tiravanija amongst others. A number of new exhibitions will open across the LUMA Arles campus.
