View source for Grand Palais

{{short description|Historic site, exhibition hall in Paris, France}}
{{about|the palace located in Paris, France|other uses|Grand Palace (disambiguation)}}
{{Expand language|langcode=fr|otherarticle=Grand Palais (Paris)|langcode2=es|otherarticle2=Grand Palais|date=July 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox museum
| name             = Grand Palais
| image            = France-000296 - Paris' Grand Palais (14525102530).jpg
| imagesize        = 265
| caption          = The {{Lang|fr|Grand Palais|italic=no}} (centre) and the {{Lang|fr|[[Petit Palais]]|italic=no}} (right) as seen from the [[Eiffel Tower]]
| alt              = Image of the Grand Palais as seen from the Eiffel Tower
| mapframe-zoom    = 16
| established      = [[Exposition Universelle (1900)|Universal Exposition of 1900]]
| location         = Avenue Winston-Churchill,<br />75008 [[Paris]], France
| type             = [[Historic site]], [[exhibition hall]]
| visitors         = 1,412,060 (2017)<ref>The Art Newspaper Review, April 2018</ref>
| president        = [[Jean-Paul Cluzel]]
| publictransit    = [[Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau (Paris Métro)|Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau]]<br/>[[Franklin D. Roosevelt (Paris Métro)|Franklin D. Roosevelt]]<br/>[[File:Metro-M.svg|20px]] [[File:Paris Metro 1.svg|20px]] [[File:Paris m 9 jms.svg|20px]] [[File:Paris m 13 jms.svg|20px]]
| website          = http://www.grandpalais.fr/
| coordinates = {{WikidataCoord|display=inline,title}}
}}

The '''{{Lang|fr|Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées|italic=no}}''' ({{IPA|fr|ɡʁɑ̃ palɛ de ʃɑ̃z‿elize}}; {{langx|en|Great Palace of the Champs-Élysées}}), commonly known as the '''{{Lang|fr|Grand Palais|italic=no}}''', is a [[historic site]], [[exhibition hall]] and [[museum]] complex located in the [[8th arrondissement of Paris]] between the [[Champs-Élysées]] and the [[Seine]], France. Construction of the {{Lang|fr|Grand Palais|italic=no}} began in 1897 following the demolition of the [[Palais de l'Industrie]] (Palace of Industry) to prepare for the [[Exposition Universelle (1900)|Universal Exposition of 1900]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=L'Exposition Universelle de 1900 |url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bie-paris.org%2Fmain%2Fpages%2Ffiles%2Fexpos%2F1900-bis.pdf%2Findex.html}}</ref> That exposition also produced the adjacent {{Lang|fr|[[Petit Palais]]|italic=no}} and [[Pont Alexandre III]].<ref name="history 1">{{cite web|url=http://www.champs-elysees-paris.org/?p=2489|title=Grand Palais|access-date=8 July 2010|publisher=Champs-elysees-paris.org|archive-date=5 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705180048/http://www.champs-elysees-paris.org/?p=2489|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The building was designed to be a large-scale venue for official artistic events. A pediment on the building refers to this function with an inscription that reads, "a monument dedicated by the Republic to the glory of French art." Designed according to [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]] tastes, the building features ornate stone [[facade]]s, glass vaults and period innovations that included [[iron]] and [[Steel frame|light steel framing]] and [[reinforced concrete]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://digital.lib.umd.edu/worldsfairs/result/id/umd:1000|title=Paris 1900: Grand Palais|access-date=23 May 2022|author=Sesan Iwarere|publisher=University of Maryland Libraries|year=2005}}</ref>

It is listed as a historic monument ({{Lang|fr|[[monument historique]]}}) by the [[Ministry of Culture (France)|Ministry of Culture]].<ref name="merimee">{{Base Mérimée|PA00088877}} Grand Palais</ref> <!-- Removed: "the formality of its floor planning" -- this could be reinstated with more explanation. Too vague to mean much to an average reader.  -->

== Construction and early years==
[[File:Salon de locomotion aerienne 1909 Grand Palais Paris.jpg|thumb|left|[[Paris Air Show]], 1909, Grand Palais, [[Paris]]]]
The decision to hold the Universal Exposition of 1900 in Paris revealed deep divisions within the French Republic. Critics viewed the project as an economic drain that pulled resources away from provincial governments and questioned the benefit that it would bring to the French economy as a whole. These concerns extended to the planning and construction of the Grand Palais.<ref>SWIFT, ANTHONY. "World's Fairs." ''Europe 1789–1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of Industry and Empire'', edited by John Merriman and Jay Winter, vol. 5, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2006, pp. 2493–2506. ''Gale In Context: World History.'' Accessed 20 January 2022.</ref>

Unlike plans for the [[Trocadéro, Paris|Trocadéro]] or the [[Palais Garnier|Garnier]] opera house, only French architects were considered for the project. The final decision was announced on 22 April 1896, with a contract awarded to four people, each with a distinct area of responsibility: [[Henri Deglane (architect)|Henri Deglane]], [[Albert Louvet]], [[Albert-Félix-Théophile Thomas|Albert Thomas]] and [[Charles Girault]].

The grand opening was held on 1 May 1900. From the very beginning the palace was the site of different kinds of shows in addition to the intended art exhibitions. These included a riding competition that took place annually from 1901 to 1957, but were mainly dedicated to innovation and modernity: the automobile, aviation, household appliances, and so on. The golden age of the art exhibitions as such lasted for some thirty years, while the last took place in 1947.  The first major [[Henri Matisse]] retrospective after his death was held at the Grand Palais.

The main space, almost {{convert |240|m|abbr=on}} long, was constructed with an iron, steel and glass barrel-vaulted roof, making it the last of the large transparent structures inspired by London's [[The Crystal Palace|Crystal Palace]] that were necessary for large gatherings of people before the age of electricity. The main space was originally connected to the other parts of the palace along an east–west axis by a grand staircase in a style combining [[classical architecture|Classical]] and [[Art Nouveau]], but the interior layout has since been somewhat modified.

The exterior of this massive palace combines an imposing Classical stone façade with a riot of [[Art Nouveau]] ironwork, and a number of allegorical statue groups including work by sculptors [[Paul Gasq]], [[Camille Lefèvre]], [[Alfred Boucher]], [[Alphonse-Amédée Cordonnier]] and [[Raoul Verlet]].  A monumental bronze [[quadriga]] by [[Georges Récipon]] tops each wing of the main façade. The one on the Champs-Élysées side depicts Immortality prevailing over Time, the one on the [[Seine]] side Harmony triumphing over Discord.

The structure had problems that started even before it was completed, mainly as a result of subsidence caused by a drop in the water table. The builders attempted to compensate for this subsidence, and for a tendency of the ground to shift, by sinking supporting posts down to firmer soil, since construction could not be delayed. These measures were only partially successful. Further damage occurred once the building was in use. Excessive force applied to structural members during the installation of certain exhibitions such as the [[Paris Air Show|Exposition Internationale de la Locomotion Aérienne]] caused damage, as did acid runoff from the horse shows.
Additional problems due to the construction of the building itself revealed themselves over the course of time. Differential rates of expansion and contraction between cast iron and steel members, for example, allowed for water to enter, leading to corrosion and further weakening. When finally one of the glass ceiling panels fell in 1993, the main space had to be closed for restoration work, and was not fully reopened to the public until 2007.

== World Wars I and II ==
[[File:The Great Nave - Wounded Soldiers Performing Arms Drill at the End of Their Medical Treatment.jpg|thumb|left|Grand Palais during World War I, 1916]]
The Palais served as a military hospital during [[World War I]], employing local artists who had not been deployed to the front to decorate hospital rooms or to make moulds for prosthetic limbs.

The [[Nazi]]s put the Palais to use during the [[German occupation of France during World War II|Occupation of France]] in [[World War II]]. First used as a truck depot, the Palais then housed two Nazi propaganda exhibitions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.grandpalais.fr/en/The-building/History/Stories-of-the-Grand-Palais/p-610-lg1-Wartime.htm |title=Wartime |publisher=GrandPalais.fr |access-date=15 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225080719/http://www.grandpalais.fr/en/The-building/History/Stories-of-the-Grand-Palais/p-610-lg1-Wartime.htm |archive-date=25 December 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Parisian resistance used the Grand Palais as a headquarters during the Liberation of Paris. On 23 August 1944, an advancing German column was fired upon from a window on the Avenue de Sèlves, and the Germans responded with a tank attack upon the Palais. The attack ignited hay that was set up for a circus show, and over the next 48 hours, thick black smoke from the fire caused serious damage to the building. By 26 August, American jeeps were parked in the nave, followed by tanks from the [[2nd Armored Division (France)|French 2nd Armored Division]], completing the liberation of the building.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grandpalais.fr/fr/Le-monument/Histoire/Ca-s-est-passe-au-Grand-Palais/p-141-Dans-la-tourmente-des-deux-guerres.htm |title=Dans la tourmente des deux guerres |publisher=GrandPalais.fr |access-date=15 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517123316/http://www.grandpalais.fr/fr/Le-monument/Histoire/Ca-s-est-passe-au-Grand-Palais/p-141-Dans-la-tourmente-des-deux-guerres.htm |archive-date=17 May 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Collection des FFL (Forces Françaises Libres). |url=http://www.ecpad.fr/collection-des-ffl-forces-francaises-libres |title=Collection des FFL (Forces Françaises Libres). – ECPAD |publisher=Ecpad.fr |access-date=15 August 2012 |archive-date=24 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190124041806/http://www.ecpad.fr/collection-des-ffl-forces-francaises-libres/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Postwar years ==
In the 1960s, [[Le Corbusier]] wanted the Grand Palais to be demolished to set up the Museum of 20th Century Art there, which [[André Malraux]] had entrusted to him. The death of the architect, on 27 August 1965, put an end to the project.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 July 2016 |title=Paris : ce dont rêvait Le Corbusier pour la rive droite |url=https://www.geo.fr/voyage/paris-plan-voisin-ce-dont-revait-le-corbusier-pour-la-rive-droite-161992 |access-date=21 June 2023 |website=Geo.fr |language=fr}}</ref>

By decree of 12 June 1975, the nave was classified as a historical monument. A new decree of 6 November 2000 protects the Grand Palais in its entirety.

== 21st century ==
[[File:Le Grand Palais depuis le pont Alexandre III à Paris.jpg|right|thumb|The Grand Palais seen from [[Pont Alexandre III]]]]
[[File:Grand Palaais 501590 fh000034.jpg|thumb|The interior, 2006]]
[[File:I24 0203.jpg|right|thumb|The interior during the [[2024 Summer Olympics]]]]
[[File:Ice Skating Event at Grand Palais – December 2024.jpg|thumb|Ice Skating Event at Grand Palais – December 2024]]The Grand Palais has a major police station in the basement whose officers help protect the exhibits on show in the [[Galeries nationales du Grand Palais]], particularly the picture exhibition "salons": the Salon de la [[Société Nationale des Beaux Arts]], [[Salon d'Automne]], and [[Salon Comparaisons]]. The building's west wing also contains a [[science museum]], the [[Palais de la Découverte]].

It was the host venue of the [[2010 World Fencing Championships]].

For the 2011, Monumenta exhibition (11 May to 23 June), sculptor [[Anish Kapoor]] was commissioned to create the temporary indoor site-specific installation, ''Leviathan'', an enormous (ca. 775,000 square feet) structure that filled half of the main exhibition hall of the Grand Palais.<ref>[http://www.designboom.com/art/anish-kapoor-monumenta-2011-leviathan/ "Anish Kapoor: Leviathan for Monumenta 2011"] at designboom.com; Lauren Houssin, [http://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/kapoors-leviathan-fills-grand-palais-in-paris/?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%221%22%3A%22RI%3A9%22%7D "Kapoor’s ‘Leviathan’ Fills Grand Palais in Paris"], ''[[The New York Times]]'' (31 May 2011); Mark Hudson, [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-reviews/8506594/Anish-Kapoor-Leviathan-Monumenta-2011-Grand-PalaisParis-review.html "Anish Kapoor: Leviathan, Monumenta 2011, Grand Palais, Paris, review"], ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'' (11 May 2011). Retrieved 21 September 2014.</ref>

It was used during the final stage of the [[2017 Tour de France|Tour de France]] in 2017, as part of the promotion for Paris' [[Paris bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics|2024 Summer Olympics bid]]. The riders rode through the Palais en route to the [[Champs Élysées]].

The Grand Palais temporarily closed to the public in March 2021 for significant renovation works. It reopened in time for the [[2024 Summer Olympics|Paris 2024 Olympic Games]], where it hosted the [[fencing]] and [[taekwondo]] events. It is planned that the Grand Palais will re-open to the public in the spring of 2025.<ref>{{Cite news|title= Le Nouveau Grand Palais|website=grandpalais.fr |date=2021 |url=https://www.grandpalais.fr/en/node/51644 |access-date=11 July 2022}}</ref> While it is closed, exhibitions that would otherwise be held there will be hosted by other locations, such as the [[Grand Palais Éphémère]] and the [[Musée du Luxembourg]] in Paris and the [[Palais de la Bourse (Marseille)|Palais de la Bourse]] in Marseille.

[[File:PanoramiqueGrandPalais-3600.jpg|thumbnail|center|600px|Panoramic view of the Grand Palais]]

== Restoration work ==

=== Conservation measures ===
The alarm was sounded in June 1993 after a riveting element detached from a height of almost thirty-five metres during the Design, miroir du siècle exhibition.

The Minister of Culture, [[Jacques Toubon]], decided to "temporarily" close the site in November of that year, due to the danger of new rivets falling on the public. The installation of nets hung under the glass roof and the calling in of experts to remedy the situation were not enough to keep the building open to the public. Only the [[Galeries nationales du Grand Palais|Galeries nationales]] and the [[Palais de la Découverte]] are once again available to the public, following the necessary safety work. The use of the nave was interrupted for twelve years. Six years during which the Ministry of Culture and Paris City Council were unable to agree on the division of responsibilities for saving the Grand Palais, which continued to deteriorate. This procrastination is linked not only to the relocation and rehousing of the administrations occupying the premises, but also to the substantial sums required for its restoration and upkeep.

Faced with pressure from private investors strongly interested in such a location in the heart of Paris, the building was protected as a [[Monument historique|historic monument]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grand Palais |url=https://pop.culture.gouv.fr/notice/merimee/PA00088877 |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=pop.culture.gouv.fr}}</ref> in 2000 on the occasion of the centenary of the 1900 [[Exposition Universelle (1900)|Universal Exhibition]].

=== Pathologies ===
The behaviour of masonry and steelwork is influenced by several factors :

The building's foundations, partly made of oak piles supporting stone or lime concrete foundations, are subject to variations and a gradual lowering of the water table. Due to successive campaigns of redevelopment work on the road and the quayside along the Seine, this phenomenon causes the heads of the posts to wash out and then rot when they come into contact with the oxygen in the air. The first cracks appeared, as water infiltration through the glass roof caused the metal to slowly corrode. Another cause of decay is the hanging directly on the metal structure, as part of imposing decorations or exhibitions such as the ''Salon de l'Aéronautique'', where balloons and airplanes are sometimes presented suspended. This causes premature aging of many metal elements.

=== Restoration project ===
The restoration work was managed between 2001 and 2007 by the Department of Architecture and Heritage (DAPA) of the Ministry of Culture and Communication. The contracting authority was awarded to the [[:fr:Opérateur du patrimoine et des projets immobiliers de la culture|Public Establishment for the Management of Cultural Works]] (ÉMOC).

The work was carried out in two phases:

- Phase One (November 2001 – August 2004) : Underpinning of part of the foundations, accompanied by the removal, restoration, and replacement, from 2001 to 2004, of the two repoussé copper quadrigae and their Récipon iron reinforcement.

- Phase Two (2002 to the end of 2007) : Repair of the walls and other cracked masonry, the glass roof, and deformed or dilapidated roofs, with, since 2005, renovation of the facades, restoration of the large exterior mosaic frieze, and a second and final phase of foundation consolidation.

The budget for this project was 101.36 million euros (including 72.3 for the first phase). Funding was provided by the French government through the Ministry of Culture.

==== A short history of "Réséda" green ====
Even before the first renovation work on the nave of the Grand Palais began, the question of what color to give to the metal structure quickly arose, and whether it was even possible to restore it to its original state. As time took its toll, numerous layers of paint covered all the elements. The color visible in 2001 was close to gray. The search for the original product based on the initial results. Luck is on the cards, as the manufacturer who supplied the paint in 1900 is still in business. This is the [[:fr:Ripolin|Ripolin]] company, which still has archives from the period in question. The corresponding color chart is quickly found, and the name of the color used is revealed: a "[[Reseda (plant)|Réséda]]" green, of which there are three shades : pale, medium, and dark. The previous analyses clearly indicate the use of "pale reseda green."

== See also ==
{{Portal|France}}
* [[List of most visited art museums]]
* [[List of most visited museums]]
* [[List of tourist attractions in Paris]]
* {{Lang|fr|[[Petit Palais]]|italic=no}}
* [[Palais de la Découverte]]
* [[Pont Alexandre-III]]
* [[Louis Levacher]]
* [[Félix Charpentier]], maker of a Grand Palais sculpture.

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}
This article contains material abridged and translated from the French and Spanish ''Wikipedia''.

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Grand Palais|<br/>Grand Palais}}
*Réunion des Musées Nationaux et du Grand Palais des Champs Elysées (Rmn-GP), [https://www.grandpalais.fr/en Official '''Grand Palais''' website]
* [http://paris1900.lartnouveau.com/paris08/le_grand_palais.htm The Grand Palais], current photographs and photographs from the 1900s.
* [http://www.boreally.org/toits/grand-palais-toits-de-paris/ Photos from the rooftops of the Grand Palais]
* [https://www.theparisianguide.com/s/grand-palais/ Grand Palais, The Parisian Guide]

{{8th arrondissement of Paris}}
{{Visitor attractions in Paris}}
{{1900 Paris Exposition}}
{{1937 Paris International Exposition of Arts and Techniques Applied to Modern Life}}
{{2024 Summer Olympic Venues}}
{{Olympic venues fencing}}
{{Olympic venues taekwondo}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures in Paris]]
[[Category:Exposition Universelle (1900)]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in the 8th arrondissement of Paris]]
[[Category:Event venues established in 1900]]
[[Category:Monuments historiques of Paris]]
[[Category:Art Nouveau architecture in Paris]]
[[Category:Beaux-Arts architecture in France]]
[[Category:Historicist architecture in France]]
[[Category:Neoclassical architecture in France]]
[[Category:World's fair architecture in Paris]]
[[Category:Art Nouveau museum buildings]]
[[Category:Museums in Paris]]
[[Category:Réunion des Musées Nationaux]]
[[Category:Venues of the 2024 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic fencing venues]]
[[Category:Olympic taekwondo venues]]
[[Category:20th-century architecture in France]]
[[Category:1900 establishments in France]]
[[Category:Convention centers in France]]