Historic site, exhibition hall in Paris, France
The
Grand Palais des Champs-Elysees
(
French pronunciation:
[????
pal?
de
???z?elize]
; English:
Great Palace of the Champs-Elysees
), commonly known as the
Grand Palais
(
English
: Great Palace), is a
historic site
,
exhibition hall
and
museum
complex located at the
Champs-Elysees
in the
8th arrondissement of Paris
, France. Construction of the
Grand Palais
began in 1897 following the demolition of the
Palais de l'Industrie
(Palace of Industry) to prepare for the
Universal Exposition of 1900
.
[2]
That exposition also produced the adjacent
Petit Palais
and
Pont Alexandre III
.
[3]
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
tastes, the building features ornate stone
facades
, glass vaults and period innovations that included
iron
and
light steel framing
and
reinforced concrete
.
[4]
It is listed as a historic monument (
monument historique
) by the
Ministry of Culture
.
[5]
History
[
edit
]
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.
[6]
Unlike plans for the
Trocadero
or the
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
,
Albert Louvet
,
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 240 metres 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
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
and
Art Nouveau
, but the interior layout has since been somewhat modified.
The exterior of this massive palace combines an imposing Classical stone facade with a riot of
Art Nouveau
ironwork, and a number of allegorical statue groups including work by sculptors
Paul Gasq
,
Camille Lefevre
,
Alfred Boucher
,
Alphonse-Amedee Cordonnier
and
Raoul Verlet
. A monumental bronze
quadriga
by
Georges Recipon
tops each wing of the main facade. The one on the Champs-Elysees 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
Exposition Internationale de la Locomotion Aerienne
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.
Wartime and the Palais
[
edit
]
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
Nazis
put the Palais to use during the
Occupation of France
in
World War II
. First used as a truck depot, the Palais then housed two Nazi propaganda exhibitions.
[7]
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 Selves, 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
French 2nd Armored Division
, completing the liberation of the building.
[8]
[9]
After war
[
edit
]
In the 1960s,
Le Corbusier
wanted the Grand Palais to be demolished to set up the Museum of 20th Century Art there, which
Andre Malraux
had entrusted to him. The death of the architect, on August 27, 1965, put an end to the project.
[10]
By decree of June 12, 1975, the nave is classified as historical monuments. A new decree of November 6, 2000 protects the Grand Palais in its entirety.
Grand Palais today
[
edit
]
The Grand Palais seen from
Pont Alexandre III
The interior
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
Societe Nationale des Beaux Arts
,
Salon d'Automne
, and
Salon Comparaisons
. The building's west wing also contains a
science museum
, the
Palais de la Decouverte
.
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.
[11]
It was used during the final stage of the
Tour de France
in 2017, as part of the promotion for Paris'
2024 Summer Olympics bid
. The riders rode through the Palais en route to the
Champs Elysees
.
Panoramic view of the Grand Palais
ARTPARIS 2011 preparation at Grand Palais
The Grand Palais temporarily closed to the public in March 2021 for significant renovation works. It will re-open in time for the
Paris 2024 Olympic Games
, where it will host the
fencing
and
taekwondo
events. It is planned that the Grand Palais will re-open to the public in the Spring of 2025.
[12]
While it is shut, exhibitions that would otherwise be held there will be hosted by other locations, such as the
Grand Palais Ephemere
and the
Musee du Luxembourg
in Paris and the
Palais de la Bourse
in Marseille.
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
The Art Newspaper Review, April 2018
- ^
"L'Exposition Universelle de 1900"
.
- ^
"Grand Palais"
. Champs-elysees-paris.org. Archived from
the original
on 5 July 2018
. Retrieved
8 July
2010
.
- ^
Sesan Iwarere (2005).
"Paris 1900: Grand Palais"
. University of Maryland Libraries
. Retrieved
23 May
2022
.
- ^
Base Merimee
:
PA00088877
, Ministere francais de la Culture.
(in French)
Grand Palais
- ^
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.
- ^
"Wartime"
. GrandPalais.fr. Archived from
the original
on 25 December 2017
. Retrieved
15 August
2012
.
- ^
"Dans la tourmente des deux guerres"
. GrandPalais.fr. Archived from
the original
on 17 May 2012
. Retrieved
15 August
2012
.
- ^
Collection des FFL (Forces Francaises Libres).
"Collection des FFL (Forces Francaises Libres). ? ECPAD"
. Ecpad.fr. Archived from
the original
on 24 January 2019
. Retrieved
15 August
2012
.
- ^
"Paris : ce dont revait Le Corbusier pour la rive droite"
.
Geo.fr
(in French). 2016-07-18
. Retrieved
2023-06-21
.
- ^
"Anish Kapoor: Leviathan for Monumenta 2011"
at designboom.com; Lauren Houssin,
"Kapoor’s ‘Leviathan’ Fills Grand Palais in Paris"
,
The New York Times
(31 May 2011); Mark Hudson,
"Anish Kapoor: Leviathan, Monumenta 2011, Grand Palais, Paris, review"
,
The Telegraph
(11 May 2011). Retrieved 21 September 2014.
- ^
"Le Nouveau Grand Palais"
.
grandpalais.fr
. 2021
. Retrieved
2022-07-11
.
This article contains material abridged and translated from the French and Spanish
Wikipedia
.
External links
[
edit
]
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