Arles, the capital of the Camargue region in the south of France, has a new attraction: above the city with its Roman amphitheatre, a tower by Frank Gehry glitters in the light of the sun. It is the landmark of the 11-hectare LUMA cultural centre.
In 2010, the LUMA Foundation, founded by Swiss art patron Maja Hoffmann, acquired an industrial wasteland near the centre of Arles. Eleven years later, the LUMA Arles cultural centre is opened on this site. It consists of a spacious park with studios and artists' accommodation, a hall for large events, a training centre, laboratories and cafés, thus providing a coherent infrastructure for cultural events and exhibitions of all kinds. In the north-eastern part of the park, visible from afar, stands the tower building by the Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry.