Architecture in the lens: Luma Arles Tower in Ivan Baan's photo project

Architectural photographer Ivan Baan captured the Luma Arles Tower and its interior.

Evgeny Ionov

Ivan Baan is considered the most recognizable modern architectural photographer. Just the other day, he also added to his portfolio with pictures of the Luma Arles tower in Arles, France. The author of the project is the Pritzker prize winner Frank Gehry.

Frank Gehry on the Bilbao Effect, the revolution in architecture and his favorite subjects Frank Gehry can be considered a revolutionary: he changed our attitude to modern architecture and created software that facilitates the design process.

Iwan Baan

In the photos, the 56 m high tower literally towers over the surrounding buildings. The expressive building is designed as a landmark structure for the art center, which was founded by Swiss collector Maya Hoffmann in 2013 and occupies the territory of former railway workshops built in the middle of the XIX century.

Iwan Baan

According to Frank Gehry, the architecture of the tower is inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings “Starry Night” and Les Alpilles, which were painted by the artist nearby. The second source is the Roman architecture of Arles: the glass drum from which the tower grows is largely inspired by the shape of the ancient amphitheater.

Iwan Baan

Ivan Baan also captured the interiors of the tower. They show how the spacious lobby on the ground floor is crossed by numerous curved stairs, and the space itself is surrounded by galleries and cafes. Above there are studios, archives, library, offices, seminar rooms. But the culmination, of course, was the observation deck.