China’s architectural curiosities have been the subject of avant-garde interest, dismay, ridicule, and more recently, indications by the state that they are no longer welcome in the Middle Kingdom.
Whether or not the authorities will make good on their directives remains to be seen. But for now, the odd edifices—the combined result of China’s sudden economic rise and foreign modern art tastes—stand where they were erected.
Louis Vuitton’s ‘Boot’ in Shanghai
This $500 million L‘Avenue building, built to evoke the shape of a riding boot, was opened in 2013 in the Hongqiao Economic Zone of Shanghai. It began as a 2007 collaboration between LVMH, the French luxury goods conglomerate, and a Hong Kong and Macanese business magnate. Despite the sponsorship of over 20 brands under LVMH, including Dior and Fendi, the 1.5 million square foot project has been a commercial failure. In 2015, L’Avenue was sold to The Blackstone Group L.P., a New York based multinational private equity corporation.
