Built for the Exposition Universelle of 1900 and dedicated "by the Republic to the glory of French art", the Grand Palais was listed as a historical monument in 2000. Its architecture, mixing classicism and modernity, its exceptional dimensions (70,000 m2) and its remarkable volumes (the biggest Nave of Europe with 13,500 m2 of surface area, crowned with a glass roof of 17,500 m2) make it an outstanding cultural and heritage site. The 1900 building has not been renovated, with the exception of the Nave in the early 2000s, the South-East Gallery in 2011 and the Salon d’Honneur in 2012.
In December 2020, the Grand Palais will fully close to begin its transformation, and in spring 2023, the New Grand Palais will welcome you in a monument that has been restored to the beauty and boldness of its original design! From 14 April to 14 May 2018, the Rmn – Grand Palais associated users and visitors of the venue with the restructuring of this emblematic monument.
The surroundings of the monument will be refurbished and embellished and will offer passers-by a magnificent walking route near the Champs-Elysées.
des Palais, simulation
2018 © LAN
Galeries, simulation
2018 © LAN
The New Grand Palais will host major exhibitions designed for a very wide audience in the renewed setting of its Grand Galleries, fully restored to their original height and light. It will be the place for major public collections to come together there and international projects be hosted. Better equipped to host world-class events dedicated to the arts, fashion, sports or lifestyle, it will also confirm its role as World-Monument, a showcase of contemporary society and its major trends.
The Palais de la Découverte museography will be completely redesigned, and a new line of Arts and Sciences programming will be explored by the Rmn – Grand Palais and the Palais de la Découverte, notably through the creation of a Children's Gallery, which will provide families and schoolchildren with an offer suited to very young children, from 3 to 10 years old. The Rue des Palais will be freely accessible to those who wish to browse through an art book or a digital app, have lunch, enjoy a drink at the panoramic bar located on the terrace enjoying one of the most spectacular views of Paris, stroll through the gift and bookshop, attend a lecture in the auditoriums or immerse themselves in the unique collection of more than a million digital art images managed by the Rmn – Grand Palais, or explore the history of the building.
The restoration and development project of the Grand Palais benefits from budget allocations from the Ministry of Culture, as well as grants from the Great Investment Plan (Grand plan d’investissement – GPI). It also benefits from the exclusive and historic patronage of Chanel.
2. The Grand Palais, a meeting place where art, science and society come together
3. A World Monument, and showcase for contemporary society and its trends
4. A building upgraded to comply with contemporary regulations and fully accessible to people with reduced mobility
5. Rue des Palais, the monument’s central artery, a meeting place that provides services to the general public with year-round open access (history room, immersive room, Treasury, gift and bookshop, etc.)
6. A new, more spacious and flexible visitor path for Grand Palais exhibitions, able to host one to four exhibitions simultaneously (from 500 to 2,500 m²); at any given time of year, at least one exhibition will be open to the public
7. A new museographic design for the Palais de la Découverte
8. The Children’s Gallery, a unique new arts and sciences facility for ages 3-10
9. Greater appeal as an event hosting venue, with an increase of 24% in available rental space and flexible options with up to 22,300 m² of interconnected spaces
10. A Nave reconnected to the galleries, and the 3,700 m² of balconies usable once more
11. A new logistics centre on the lower ground level for the use of the whole building, exhibitions and events alike
12. Renovated landscaping and urban setting; a terrace looking out over the rooftops of Paris
13. Facilities up to Olympic standards for 2024
14. Establishment of a single public access building (ERP) and shared management of the monument
15. Committees to handle the financial and scheduling aspects of the project
The temporary Grand Palais
An installation plan for a “temporary” Grand Palais on the Champ-de-Mars between 2021 and 2024 will be submitted to the Council of Paris for approval on 2 July 2018. As the Grand Palais will be closed for renovation, this temporary facility is intended to house the major art, fashion and sporting events usually held in the Nave, such as La Biennale Paris, the FIAC, Paris Photo, the Saut Hermès and the Chanel fashion shows.
The temporary Grand Palais will be installed on the Plateau Joffre on the Champ-de-Mars and t will be written into the history of this space, in the same tradition as the place it occupied during the great Universal Expositions of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It will be extremely well-considered from an aesthetic and architectural perspective, fitting seamlessly into the surroundings of the Champ-de-Mars and representing an exemplary achievement in terms of simplicity and sustainable development.
Although the renovated Grand Palais will reopen in 2023, the temporary structure will host events and operations related to the Olympic and Paralympic Games until September 2024.