The Petit Palais

Situated on the Avenue Winston Churchill and joining the Champs-Elysées to the Esplanade des Invalides, the Petit Palais is located in the upmarket 8th Arrondissement of Paris. Similar to the Grand Palais, it was built in 1900 to coincide with the Exposition Universelle. Nowadays, the Petit Palais is used as a museum of fine arts and features a trapezoidal design with four buildings grouped around a luxuriously adorned garden.

Early days of the Petit Palais

In 1894 the idea arose to destroy the Palais de l'Industrie (Palace of Industry). This was in order to make room for the construction of two other palaces. Charles Giraud was given the task of overseeing the work. He wanted above all to keep the greenery of the Carré Marigny (Marigny Square) in order to preserve the peaceful atmosphere of what he saw as an exceptional place. The works started in the autumn of 1897 and continued for two years. Built on a large foundation, the first floor of the building, the ‘noble floor’, was set up to accommodate future works. Two years after the Exhibition Universelle, the Petit Palais was transformed into a museum and became known as Palais des Beaux Arts de la Ville de Paris (the city of Paris museum of fine arts). It was to hold a collection of permanent art covering the entire period from the Antiquity to the end of the 19th century. It also played host to various temporary exhibitions.

Between 1903 and 1925, major works were carried out to decorate the rooms of the Petit Palais, giving it the grandeur of an official palace. Rich paintings and sculptures were added in accordance to the architect's wish of giving the Petit Palais the splendour of a building entirely dedicated to the glory of Art and the city of Paris. Extra care was therefore taken to adorn the passageways and stairwells with magnificent works of art. The entrance hall, the colonnades in the gardens, the two large exhibition galleries and the cupola of the staircase were sumptuously filled with magnificent paintings. It took more than twenty years for the interior decor to be completed.

Expansion of the Petit Palais

Numerous donations have made it possible to maintain and enrich the permanent exhibitions of the Petit Palais on a regular basis. The museum’s collection has grown thanks to the acquisition of several works by famous painters, including those of Gustave Courbet. These have contributed greatly to the continued success of the Palace.

The years of the early 2000s saw the arrival of contemporary photography in the exhibition rooms of the Petit Palais. This was brought on by the decision to introduce the major international exhibitions with images of photographers inspired by the exposed civilizations. Many of these photographs were subsequently taken over by the Petit Palais to enrich its permanent collection. Other well known donors, including the Dutuit brothers (famous collectors and art historians), have also contributed to the museum's collection. Precious medieval antique works of art, as well as impressive pieces dating back to the French and Italian Renaissance, are gradually being added to the museum’s famous collection of Flemish and Dutch paintings. Sculptures, paintings, tapestries and other objects now engulf the galleries all around. The museum will also soon acquire a collection of works from the 19th century, as well as legacies and donations of the greatest artists including Cézanne, Courbet, Delacroix, and Ingres among others.

During its 2000 to 2005 closure when restoration and expansion work took place, the Petit Palais increased its exhibition space from 15,000m² to 22,000m². The aim of such a redevelopment was to be able to present new international exhibitions on the first floor, spanning throughout the western side of the building.