GrandPalais.fr : The South-East Gallery

The South-East Gallery

The Nave

Great Staircase: A superb illustration of Art nouveau, the monumental Great Staircase is an instant eye-catcher. Serving as a reception area and the prestigious entrance to the future VIP lounge, it alone illustrates the majesty of the Grand Palais.
Balconies: The fine, understated contour of the balconies that run all the way round the Nave conceals little-known reception and exhibition areas. Only when they have been fully restored will it be possible to access this exceptional viewpoint that takes in the whole of the Nave.
Wolrd time clock: The world time clock has presided over a century of events in the Grand Palais, and, as a work of impressive scale and history, must be restored to its former role in the Nave.
Tympanum: Imagining the interaction and resonance between contemporary creation and heritage. This will be the challenge for the contemporary artist restoring and decorating the tympanum in the Grand Palais.
Corner glass roofs: On either side of the great staircase, the skylight windows in the corners of the building provide warm and intimate reception areas, a welcome counterpoint to the immensity of the Nave. Once restored, these shafts of light will create an even more graphic impact.
Regulation of the temperature in the Nave: Designing a temperature regulation system to operate under the biggest glass roof in Europe, covering a total area of 13,500 m2 (145,000 sq. ft.) for a volume of 450,000 m³ (15,890,000 ft³) is a massive challenge!
Mosaics and glass floors: More than just a restoration, the task of reconstituting the mosaics with their soft colours, and the glass tiles that are so typical of the early 20th century is an invitation to rediscover the sumptuous life and times of the Belle Époque.

Building exterior

Main entrance: It is through the majestic main entrance on Avenue Winston-Churchill that more than one and a half visitors each year enter the Grand Palais.
The pots à feu on the roof and the great sculptures on the pediment: These ornaments and large groups of sculptures make a major contribution to the building's overall impression of splendour: Alfred Picard, commissioner of the 1900 Universal Exhibition, attached particular importance to these curiosities that have since been damaged by the passage of time or simply disappeared.
Illuminations: The design of new illuminations for both inside and outside the Nave is a major and ambitious project for the 21st century and an exciting challenge on the scale of the building itself.

New areas

The VIP Lounge: Centrepiece of the restoration project for the Grand Palais, the renovation of the VIP Lounge will enable businesses, patrons and the general public to discover this sumptuous area of 1,200 m2 (12,900 sq. ft.) located in the heart of the building.
The South-East Gallery: A new area with 700 m2 (7,500 sq. ft.) of floor space, the gallery will be able to host events such as exhibitions and fashion shows. Events here will be bathed in outstanding natural vertical light streaming down through the glass overhead.
The Fine Arts Staircase: A jewel in the Grand Palais' crown, the Fine Arts Staircase offers a warm and inviting reception area and an exclusive facility in which to welcome guests. Its discrete atmosphere is enhanced by a staircase that lends a magical sense of elevation as it leads upward to the balconies in the Nave.

See the media:Restoring the South-East gallery will create a new events venue

Restoring the South-East gallery will create a new events venue © Coll. Grand Palais, cliché François Tomasi

An outstanding area

Covering an area of 700 m2, this gallery is located on the first floor around the Nave and has overhead natural lighting. Currently closed to the public, it is one of the Nave's best-kept secrets.
It was however used between 1966 and 1998, when it was requisitioned as classrooms for Slav and German language students from the Sorbonne Paris-IV University.
All the interior partitions have been demolished, recreating this magnificent volume.
The South-East Gallery hosted the T.A.G. au Grand Palais show in April 2009, an event that was an enormous success, drawing 80,000 visitors in one month!
The South-East Gallery will be accessible from the Nave and there will be further access from the Alexandre III rotunda and the Fine Arts Staircase.

Tremendous potential

Restored and developed, this area will have considerable potential for both the public and event organisers.
The South-East Gallery will enable the organisation of events thematically either connected to events programmed in the Nave or totally independent. As a facility it will enable us to enhance and diversify the programme of events at the Grand Palais, offering a scaled-down alternative to the sheer immensity of the Nave.
The Gallery will have its own independent programme. It will lend itself to private functions such as evening parties, AGMs, fashion shows, receptions and exhibitions. It offers an area that is both intimate and private, right next to the Nave.
The South-east Gallery will be accessible from the Nave and there will be further access from the Alexandre III rotunda and the Fine Arts Staircase.

Exhibit a corporate collection

In recognition of the generosity of its patrons, the Grand Palais specially offers them the use of the South-East Gallery as a showcase their corporate collections or for any other exhibitions they would like to stage.

Technical information

Scheduled work: demolition of structures and partitions, restoration and new layout to enable modular deployment.
Area: 700 m²
Height : 9.80 m below glass roof

Provisional schedule:
Opening planned for 2011

Contact

mecenat@rmngp.fr

Medias

Photo gallery

See the media:The glass roof of the Exhibition Gallery

The South-east gallery

Video

See the media:Galerie sud-est / rotonde Alexandre III