I don’t think it’s just me who tends to want to hate a giant mega exhibition the likes of which The Fondation Louis Vuitton puts on in its Xanadu of art and architecture. I’ve been burnt too many times in the past by what a museum studies prof of mine called “blockbuster” exhibitions: the notorious King Tut exhibit at LACMA around 2006. The lovely though misplaced Scions of Sainai exhibit at The Getty in 2007. Any exhibit in Paris focusing on an impressionist master. I can’t take credit either for the phrase “McGuggenheim” to describe what these museums do. They hire a big name to build a big swirly building, then they create a blockbuster exhibit that will pierce the consciousness of the general, not-art-snobs public so that they can make several dollars. Who can blame them?

That said, despite The Fondation Louis Vuitton being primed to deliver the exact same art-as-Disneyland experience, the foundation always manages to win me over in terms of experience, content, and how the show is realized. You wouldn’t think so, but I absolutely love when I’m proven wrong.

After being completely wowed by the Charlotte Perriand show in 2019, I was ready to entrust The Fondation Louis Vuitton with my afternoon again to hopefully enjoy its Mark Rothko retrospective going from October to April 2, 2024. I used to find Rothko unimaginative and male, but as I got older and more prone to wanting the abyss to stare back, I began to come around on him. So we made our way all the way over to that Western zone of Paris to see what was up with the collection.

Room upon room of well appointed, perfectly lit, interestingly grouped, attentively contextualized Rothkos took up every available gallery in the swirling Gherry-designed museum. The light they chose felt slightly warm, less sterile than we’re used to while gazing at paintings, which helped get rid of that sterile, white box museum feeling. No matter what era or color scheme you prefer in your Rothko, they have them all, and even with those blockbuster crowds, the exhibit is spaced out enough over so many rooms and floors, that you can have a moment to stare deeply between his fuzzy patches of reds, oranges, and yellows. The odd shapes of the rooms help the viewer to lose track of where they are, to move from space to space without knowing where they are and how far they’ve gone. The lack of squares and repetition gets rid of the relentlessness that some long exhibits can evoke in a viewer. This could especially be true of a painter like Rothko whose style was admittedly a bit repetitive. Somehow in this space, it didn’t feel so.

Clearly, it was possible to enjoy the art, but I must warn the reader that to do so required some forgiveness of my fellow man. Specifically the boomer aged fellow men and women. As with any art exhibit in Paris, there are always in attendance a huge number of boomers and older who apparently love art, but not enough to lower their voices, stand a respectful distance away, and not cut lines. Hear an alarm going off in a gallery? It’s a boomer trying to touch the art. Someone stand directly in the courtesy space you left in front of a gallery caption? I’ll let you guess whodunnit.

In addition to the olds, there are always many university-aged art-lookers who may be there of their own volition, potentially are there for a school assignment, but tend to have equally low spatial and noise level awareness, and are prone to giggle fits. The point is, if you can find a visit time that may have fewer youngs and olds, you might enjoy yourself more. Am I being judgey and age-ist? Yes. It doesn’t mean I’m wrong, though.

In terms of logistics, buy your ticket in advance because there is a reservation system in place and thank goodness, because even with this system the earlier halls were full to the brim. Take the ligne 1 to Les Sablons then walk a few blocks to get to the museum. If you want an option with fewer steps, The Fondation Louis Vuitton offers short shuttle buses that pick you up from Charles De Gaulle Etoile, however it’s still a bit of a ride from there to the museum, and there can be a bit of traffic in the afternoon. There aren’t many spots to eat or grab coffee just near the museum, it’s best to find something back near La Defense if you must, or brave the lines at the museum cafe.

Verdict: You should definitely go, just gird yourself for the wave of people, their conversations, photos, and selfies.