uveau
ironwork, and a number of allegorical statue groups including work by sculptors
Paul Gasq and Alfred Boucher. Two monumental bronze quadrigas by Georges Récipon
terminate each wing of the main facade.Friday: May 14
The Grand and Petit Palais (Big and Little Palace)
They are across the street from each other; two beautiful buildings called the Grand and Petit Palais. They are museums and exhibition halls but you really don't see much of a crowd here unless there is some special exhibition going on. Beautiful and splendid....well worth a visit. The Petit Palais has a wonderful cafe in the rear overlooking the inner garden; a nice place for a quiet coffee and to reflect on a wonderful life.
Grand Palais - largest ironwork and glass
structure in the world
The Grand Palais. well known for its enormous spectacular
glass domed roof, is the largest existing ironwork and glass structure in the
world. Grand Palais took the title from London’s Crystal Palace, which was lost
in a fire.
The Grand Palais ("Big Palace") is a large glass exhibition
hall that was built for the Paris Exhibition of 1900. Built at the same time as
the Petit Palais and the Pont Alexandre III, four architects were involved: the
main facade was the work of Henri Deglane, the opposite side the work of
Albert-Felix-Theophile Thomas,
the interior and the other two ends given to Albert Louvet, with the entire job
supervised by Charles Girault. (All four had been winners of the Prix de Rome
for architecture.) The building facade is a prototypical example of Beaux-Arts
architecture, and the main roof is an expanse of steel and glass.
uveau
ironwork, and a number of allegorical statue groups including work by sculptors
Paul Gasq and Alfred Boucher. Two monumental bronze quadrigas by Georges Récipon
terminate each wing of the main facade.The building was closed for 12 years for extensive restoration
work after one of the glass ceiling panels fell in 1993. It reopened on Saturday
24 September 2005.
A little known fact is that the Grand Palais has a major
police station in the basement which helps protect the exhibits on show in the
Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, and particularly the picture exhibition
"Salons" as 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.
The couture fashion house Chanel annually hosts many of its fashion shows here,
setting up elaborate and expensive surroundings for its models and hosts.
Click on tyhe picture to see a larger view.
Click on tyhe picture to see a larger view.
Petit
Palais
A small distance from the Grand Palais is the Petit Palais (Small Palace). Its
main attraction is its fine Museum of Fine Arts, indeed, 'Mini Louvre' to some.
In a small way, Petit Palais has much to admire in terms of its historic artwork
and doesn’t suffer from crowds and hassle of the Louvre. But I still like the
Musee d'Orsay better.
Built for the Universal Exhibition in 1900 to Charles Girault's designs, it now
houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts (musée des beaux-arts de la ville
de Paris). Arranged around an octi-circular courtyard and garden, the palace is
similar to the nearby Grand Palais. Its ionic columns, grand porch and dome echo
those of the Invalides across the river. The tympanum depicting the city of
Paris surrounded by muses is the work of sculptor Jean Antoine Injalbert.
The current exhibits are divided into sections: the Dutuit Collection of
medieval and Renaissance paintings, drawings and objets d'art; the Tuck
Collection of 18th century furniture and the City of Paris collection of
paintings. The museum diplays paintings by painters such as Rembrandt, Rubens,
Nicolas Poussin, Claude Gellée, Fragonard, Hubert Robert, Greuze and a
remarkable collection of 19th century painting and sculpture : Ingres, Géricault,
Delacroix, Courbet, Monet, Sisley, Pissarro, Cezanne, Modigliani, Carpeaux,
Maillol, Rodin etc.
The Petit Palais has served as a model for other public buildings, notably for
the Royal Museum for Central Africa near Brussels, Belgium, and the Museo de
Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Museum) in Santiago, Chile.
The grounds around the Petit Palais are wooded and serene. Just beautiful.
Click on tyhe picture to see a larger view.
Click on tyhe picture to see a larger view.