The Grand Palais, also called Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées (in Spanish "Grand Palace"), is a unique building in the city of Paris, located on the Champs-Elysées, in the VIII arrondissement, forming a monumental environment together with the Petit Palais and the Alexander III Bridge.
The Grand Palais began to be built in 1897 to house the Universal Exhibition of 1900 "Exposition Universelle de Paris (1900)") held from April 15 to November 12 of the same year, after a complex gestation process in which several architects participated,[1] in the same place where the Palace of Industry, built for the 1855 Exhibition, was previously located.
Noted for the eclectic style of its architecture, called Beaux-Arts style, characteristic of the School of Fine Arts of Paris, the building reflects the taste for rich decoration and ornamentation in its stone facades, the formalism of its floor plan and hitherto novel achievements such as the large glazing of its roof, its exposed iron and steel structure, and the use of reinforced concrete.
As one of its pediments proclaims "Fronton (architecture)"),[2] it was conceived as Monument consacré par la République à la gloire de l'art français, "Monument consecrated by the Republic to the glory of French art", serving as a place for the official manifestations of the Third French Republic and a symbol of the taste of a part of the society of the time. With the course of time and the decline of the Beaux-Arts style, the place was progressively used for various uses as a center for technical salons and commercial exhibitions in the automobile, aeronautics, science or sports sectors, becoming a witness to the evolution of modern art and the advances of civilization during the 19th century.
Since 1937 it has housed the Palais de la Découverte for applied sciences and since 1964, the Galeries nationales du Grand Palais for the exhibition of collections from French national museums.
Built on unstable ground that affected its structure over time, at the end of the long and expensive restoration undertaken in the 1990s, its central nave was reopened in 2005 for the celebration of salons and various temporary exhibitions.[3].
On June 12, 1975, the central nave of the building was classified as a Historical Monument, a classification that was extended on November 6, 2000 to the entire 40,000 m² of the .[4].
Oak Pile Review
Introduction
The Grand Palais, also called Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées (in Spanish "Grand Palace"), is a unique building in the city of Paris, located on the Champs-Elysées, in the VIII arrondissement, forming a monumental environment together with the Petit Palais and the Alexander III Bridge.
The Grand Palais began to be built in 1897 to house the Universal Exhibition of 1900 "Exposition Universelle de Paris (1900)") held from April 15 to November 12 of the same year, after a complex gestation process in which several architects participated,[1] in the same place where the Palace of Industry, built for the 1855 Exhibition, was previously located.
Noted for the eclectic style of its architecture, called Beaux-Arts style, characteristic of the School of Fine Arts of Paris, the building reflects the taste for rich decoration and ornamentation in its stone facades, the formalism of its floor plan and hitherto novel achievements such as the large glazing of its roof, its exposed iron and steel structure, and the use of reinforced concrete.
As one of its pediments proclaims "Fronton (architecture)"),[2] it was conceived as Monument consacré par la République à la gloire de l'art français, "Monument consecrated by the Republic to the glory of French art", serving as a place for the official manifestations of the Third French Republic and a symbol of the taste of a part of the society of the time. With the course of time and the decline of the Beaux-Arts style, the place was progressively used for various uses as a center for technical salons and commercial exhibitions in the automobile, aeronautics, science or sports sectors, becoming a witness to the evolution of modern art and the advances of civilization during the 19th century.
Since 1937 it has housed the Palais de la Découverte for applied sciences and since 1964, the Galeries nationales du Grand Palais for the exhibition of collections from French national museums.
Built on unstable ground that affected its structure over time, at the end of the long and expensive restoration undertaken in the 1990s, its central nave was reopened in 2005 for the celebration of salons and various temporary exhibitions.[3].
Grand Palais
On July 13, 2008, it hosted the founding summit of heads of State and Government of the Union for the Mediterranean.[5].
It was the setting for the Mission Impossible: Fallout movie starring Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill.
History
Project conception
Following the decision made by the French government in 1892 to organize a new universal exhibition in 1900, its preparatory commission recommended the demolition of the Palace of Industry, built in 1855, and the construction of a new building that would improve the urban environment of the esplanade where the event would take place, so that a wide road could be opened that would link in perspective the axis of the Place des Invalides with the Avenue des Champs. Elysées.[6] Once the plan was drawn up, by decree of April 22, 1896, it was decided to organize a competition of ideas among architects for its design,[7] but contrary to what was planned for the buildings of the Opera Garnier, in 1875, or that of the old Trocadero palace, in 1878, the competition was not international in nature and was reserved only for the participation of architects of French nationality.
After a bitter debate between the organizers, the press and the general public, a single winner could not be chosen, so a team of four architects was selected to make a synthesis of their proposals and agree on a common project. The general direction was entrusted to Charles-Louis Girault, while the other three architects, Deglane, Louvet and Thomas each specialized in the construction of the different sections of the building:[8].
• - Charles-Louis Girault (Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, 1851 - Paris, 1932): In charge of the general direction of the work, he supervised the final preparation of the plans. He had to ensure, at the same time, the mastery of the work of the Petit Palais, later converted into the Museum of Fine Arts in Paris.[7].
• - Henri-Adolphe-Auguste Deglane (Paris, 1855 - Paris, 1931): He was in charge of the construction of the north and south naves, the main nave and its transverse part, called "paddock", the façades and decorated with friezes and mosaics, which surround it, and in particular of the main entrance and the peristyle located on both sides of the "new avenue", future avenue Nicholas II, later called Winston Churchill.[7].
• - Albert-Félix-Théophile Thomas (Marseille, 1847 - Paris, 1907): He carried out the construction of the west wing, the "Antin Palace" and the corresponding elevations on Antin Avenue, the future Victor Emmanuel III Avenue, later named Franklin Delano Roosevelt Avenue.[7].
• - Louis-Albert Louvet (Paris, 1860 - Paris, 1936): Author of the plan, he had the responsibility of building the central section, which symmetrically connects the works of Deglane and Thomas, including the "Hall of Honor." In coordination with Deglane, he also participated in the grand staircase of honor and the decoration of the back wall of the paddock.[7]
construction work
Construction work began in the spring of 1897 with the progressive demolition of the Palace of Industry, which definitively disappeared in 1899, while three teams chosen by each architect advanced according to each work plan at their own pace and knowledge.
The work, for which up to 1,500 workers were mobilized, applied new construction techniques such as the use of reinforced concrete according to a system patented in 1892 by François Hennebique,[6] along with a deployment of considerable means for the time: steam pilers for the foundation, railway tracks for transporting the material, steam engines for the dynamos "Dinamo (electric generator)") to drive cutting saws, an overhead crane for handling large blocks, interior rails, mobile scaffolding or a ramp from the bank of the Seine for the approach of quarry barges.[9] The Exhibition itself highlighted the technical skills of the Moisant-Laurent-Savey company that were used for the mobile metal handling part deployed on the sides of the Champs-Elysées and Avenue d'Antin, while also praising those of the company Moisant in charge of the iron and steel carpentry of the grand staircase designed by Louvet.[10].
The heterogeneous characteristics of the soil, hard on the north side, where the Palace of Industry was located, but of poor quality on the south side, on alluvium of the Seine, caused a delay of 8 months on the original plan, requiring a difficult foundation work that required the use of 3,400 oak piles, 25 to 35 cm in diameter, which drilled up to 12 meters deep into the calcareous basal soil.
For the walls, the double wall technique was applied, an exterior stonework leaf, made up of stone blocks from various sites throughout France, and an interior leaf, made of brick and masonry. For its part, the metal carpentry was assembled, contrary to usual practice, without expansion joints and the masonry work was barely finished, which was followed by the decoration work by artists selected by each team of architects.
At the end of the execution period of the work, a structure had been formed for which 8,500 tons of material were used, 500 more than those required for the Eiffel Tower and 2,000 less than those of the Orsay Station,[6] however, on the day of the inauguration some interior sections were still unfinished.[11].
The construction of the Grand Palais in Paris had a total cost of 24 million francs at the time,[12][13] of which, as the Exhibition guide highlighted, 300,000 francs had been allocated solely to the important sculptural groups of the Récipon chariots.
The difficulties of the terrain would return to the present shortly after, when Alfred Picard, general curator of the exhibition, published a report in 1903 in which he warned of the existence of structural problems in the building, as a probable consequence of the drop in the level of the water table, which would cause numerous restoration interventions throughout its history until reaching the major work undertaken from 1993 onwards.[14].
Opening
The inauguration of the Grand Palais was carried out with all the pomp of the Third French Republic, then at the center of a political crisis caused by the controversial Dreyfus affair, in a ceremony held on May 1, 1900, in the presence of Émile Loubet (1838-1929), president of the French Republic, and René Waldeck-Rousseau (1846-1904), president of the Council and minister of the Interior and Culture of France, by Georges Leygues (1857-1933), Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts, by Alexandre Millerand (1859-1943), Minister of Commerce, Industry, Post Office and Telecommunications, and Alfred Picard (1844-1913), General Curator of the Paris Universal Exposition "Paris Universal Exhibition (1900)"). An inscription engraved in the stone of one of the corners of the building's walls commemorates the event.[2].
During the Universal Exhibition, the Grand Palais served both for the exhibition of pictorial works in the various rooms then set up on the first floor, as well as for holding concerts in the hall of honor behind the grand staircase, and even equestrian competitions thanks to the stables prepared in the basements of the palace and which were connected by gently sloping ramps with the competition arenas outside.[12].
Halls and exhibitions
Initially conceived as the Palace of Fine Arts for functions intended for exhibitions and celebrations of artistic exhibitions, the Grand Palais has expanded the thematic variety of its activities throughout its history.
Artistic rooms.
The halls dedicated to the fine arts experienced their golden age in the first thirty years of the existence of the Grand Palais. With the advent of the Popular Front "Popular Front (France)") in 1936, these presentations, considered by some as an expression of art reserved for the bourgeois elite, progressively lost prestige and saw their surface considerably reduced in favor of the definitive installation of the Palais de la Découverte (Palace of Discovery) dedicated to applied sciences, in 1937 at the initiative of the physicist Jean Perrin. After the Second World War, the artistic salons lasted a little longer, until they saw their exhibition space decrease and they were confined to the less noble and visible places of the Grand Palace.
The following art salons have been held at the Grand Palais:
• - Salon of French artists (1901).
• - Salon of independent artists (1901).
• - Hall of the National Society of Fine Arts (1901).
• - Hall of Orientalism (1901).
• - Hall of painters, engravers and lithographers (1901).
• - Hall of the Union of Women Painters and Sculptors (1901).
• - Autumn Salon (1903 to 1993).
• - Hall of Applied Arts (1925).
• - Paris Art Salon (2006).
Technical rooms.
After the Second World War, the holding of technical and commercial exhibitions was promoted, as it was considered at the time that they were more profitable than artistic ones. However, these types of exhibitions declined in the Grand Palais from the 1960s until they were moved to the Centre des nouvelles industries et technologies ("Center of new industries and technologies") or to the "Gate of Versailles" exhibition park.
• - Automobile show (1901 to 1961).[15].
• - Agricultural and horticultural machinery show.
• - International Exhibition of Aerial Locomotion (1909 - 1952), which was initially held in the facilities of the Motor Show, after its independence from this exhibition it took the name of "Hall of Aeronautics" and then "Hall of the Aeronautical Industry" before moving in 1953 to the premises of Le Bourget airport.
Commercial rooms.
These exhibitions also left the Grand Palais due to lack of available space.
• - Hall of Domestic Arts, the former Hall of Household Appliances (1926-1960, with a break from 1940-1947).
Architecture
Contenido
El Grand Palais constituye un resumen de los gustos de la «Belle Époque "Belle Époque (Historia)")» resultado del eclecticismo libre del «estilo de Bellas Artes» parisino. Al mismo tiempo, su concepción marcó el principio de una época de la arquitectura donde el dueño de la obra, a la vez artista y técnico, ocupa un papel preponderante. La obra supuso también un retorno al empleo de la piedra ricamente ornamentada, en contraste con otras obras contemporáneas impulsadas en hierro y acero como comentaba el escritor Paul Morand,[28] y uno de los últimos jalones de una época anterior a la era de la electricidad, cuando las grandes estructuras en vidrio transparentes, herederas del The Crystal Palace de Londres, concebido por Joseph Paxton en 1851,[6] permitían el aporte de la luz natural indispensable para el desarrollo de las funciones de exposición a las que se destinó el edificio.
Plant: naves and roof
The central nave, with a length of approximately 240 meters, is made up of an imposing roof, a space topped by a wide stained glass window. The barrel vault, slightly lowered in the north and south naves and in the transverse nave, and the dome and dome, composed of steel and glass, weigh about 9,000 tons and rise to 45 meters high from the roof, reaching 60 meters in the sphere of the lantern.[6] The weight of metal used, about 7,000 tons, exceeds that of the Eiffel Tower.
At first, construction and internal functioning were organized along an east-west axis. The communication between the large nave and other parts of the palace, such as the hall of honor, the central wing and the Antin Palace, was done by a wide iron staircase, of classical inspiration tinged with modernism "Modernism (art)"). The stable installation of the Palace of Discovery, starting in 1937, occupying the space of the Antin Palace, affected the distribution plan of the interior circulations and disabled one of the dimensions of the building along with the accessory and decorative grand staircase of honor, which rested on a blind wall and a wide door, in full falsework, which has since been walled.
The ships are covered by a metal frame, mignonette green, which unites all the pieces of laminated glass, which gives great luminosity to the ships.
Deglane facade and colonnade
The main façade, open in perfect symmetry on the avenue of Nicholas II, is made up of a showy colonnade or peristyle, the work of Deglane, inspired by the one conceived by Claude Perrault for the Louvre in the time of Louis For some critics, it is hidden, as in the Orsay station, which was built by Victor Laloux for the same Exhibition, due to the innovation of the metal structure. Behind large arches, each divided by double columns, they lie facing the central door, at whose bases there are four statues evoking the idealized figures of the arts of "Architecture", "Painting", "Sculpture" and "Music".[28].
The exterior friezes, designed by Edouard Fournier") are an extensive mosaic of about seventy-five meters in length, made according to traditional techniques and offer the view of a long band, close-up of bright colors, enhanced with gold,[29] that reproduce several representative scenes of the great civilizations of history, as they were imagined at the end of the century. Thus, they follow one another from Egypt to Mesopotamia, from the Rome of Caesar Augustus to the Greece of the century Pericles, from the Italian Renaissance to the France of the Middle Ages and from industrial Europe to that of the classical and baroque arts.[29].
The most distant civilizations were not forgotten, glorifying this passage of the period, then at its peak, of the great colonizing nations of: Mediterranean and sub-Saharan Africa, the East and the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and the Indochina of the Khmers and the temples of Angkor, Cochinchina and the Anamite landscapes around the city of Hué "Huế (provincial city)"), the Far East with representations of the mysterious China and Japan, then fashionable since the recent enthusiasm of impressionist painters and writers for this country, and evocations of both Americas.[29].
Balustrade: the chariots of Récipon
The balustrades that top the facades are decorated on their sides by large double vessels, while the main one, again in an interest of attracting the viewer's attention to the entrance, is reserved for the exhibition space of two sculptural groups of exceptional elaboration, the work of the artist Georges Récipon, which made of bronze, crown from a height of forty meters the entrances and their pediment, in the northeast and southeast of the Grand Palais, representing two allegorical themes in the form of chariots:.
• - On the Champs-Elysées side: l'Inmortalité devançant le Temps, "Immortality advancing Time";[30].
• - On the side of the Seine: L'Harmonie triomphant de la Discorde, "Harmony triumphant over Discord".[30].
Each chariot is made up of three main structural parts and accessory elements:
• - The exterior is made up of embossed copper plates, which together weigh 5 tons.[30].
• - A metal frame, consisting of a main structure anchored to the mass covered with masonry and to which a secondary structure is attached. This set weighs 7 tons.[30].
• - The main structure is anchored to the masonry of the stone plinth, through a metal cage, the interior of which is filled with ballast. This set weighs 11 tons.[30].
• - Ceramic accessories: on the wheels of the cars and on the winged lions located at the back of the car.[30].
The chariots were removed from the corners of the Grand Palais between July and September 2001, to be restored throughout 2003. In 2004, they were returned to their location in April of that year.[30].
Architectural criticism
The Grand Palais did not leave the community of architects and art critics indifferent, provoking comments and criticism both favorable and against it. Thus, one of the most common objections was the feeling of excess and overload of details, with over-elaborations considered unnecessary. For specialists such as James P. Boyd,[31] the glass and steel construction of the roof was not as aesthetically notable as the work on the façade, which was therefore diminished, while World's Fair Magazine lamented the appearance similar to a "large train station" and the contrast of materials.[32].
However, for favorable critics, such as Herbert E. Butler of the Art Journal, the Grand Palais must be highlighted for its great beauty resulting from the effect of dimensions on perspective and the combination in the taste and selection of details and colors,[33] or even for James Boyd, who also recognized the success in the balance between the decorative details and the general design of the building.
The great restoration (1993-2005)
En junio de 1993 se dio la alerta tras despegarse un elemento de roblonadura y caer, desde una altura de cerca de treinta y cinco metros, durante una exposición dedicada al diseño.[3].
El entonces ministro de Cultura de Francia, Jacques Toubon"), tomó la decisión de cerrar «provisionalmente» el Grand Palais en noviembre del mismo año.[3][34].
La colocación de redes de protección bajo las vidrieras (véase la imagen de la derecha) y la convocatoria de expertos para paliar esta situación no bastaron para mantener el Palacio abierto al público. Sólo y después de los necesarios trabajos para garantizar la seguridad, las Galerías nacionales y el Palacio del Descubrimiento estuvieron nuevamente disponibles. La utilización de la nave central se interrumpió durante doce años.
Incidents found
Various defects appeared throughout the century and, from the beginning of the work, in the southern area of the central nave. During construction, these unforeseen events were all the more serious, since there was no question of delaying the delivery date of the Grand Palais.
The behavior of the masonry and the metal framework comes from various factors:
• - The foundations of the building, on the one hand made up of oak stakes, support stone or concrete masses, which were subject to variations and a progressive decrease in the water table. Due to successive work campaigns, readjustments of the public road service and the pier on the bank of the Seine, this phenomenon caused a washout and, as a consequence, rot due to oxidation of the heads of the posts. The subsidence forced the designers to first increase the number of stakes to rectify and then slightly increase the masonry and the profile of the framework in which the movements of the ground were reflected. About 2,000 new poles were eventually installed, but they fell short of reaching the "good ground." This stable geological bed is located at a depth of between 15 and 20 meters deep.[3].
• - The alluvial nature of the terrain and its natural tendency to slide towards the bed of the Seine.
• - The shocks suffered directly by the metal structure, at the mercy of the creation of imposing sets or exhibitions, such as the Aeronautics Show, where there were balloons, sometimes presented in suspension. This caused premature aging of several metal elements.
• - The use of the Grand Palais for equestrian presentations resulted in an alteration in the base of several pillars, due to the acidity of the soil, which absorbed the urine of the horses.
• - The superior use of riveted steel sheets in the conception of the metal structure, instead of iron elements, as with the Eiffel Tower. This material, at the time of the work, was less flexible and expanded less than that manufactured today, in addition to the fact that this connection of more than two hundred meters did not contain any expansion joints.
• - The deformation of frames and other elements, due to differential settlements and also to the weight of the dome.
• - The first cracks that appeared were caused by water entering through the glass, which caused a slow corrosion of the metal.
In the course of the studies that preceded the recent recovery work, it was estimated that the subsidence of the foundation masses of the southern wing was up to 14 cm and that there was a height variation, in the metal part of the work, of 7 cm.[3] These values, seemingly negligible, were sufficient to cause considerable structural damage.
First restoration work
Injections of materials of various natures began very early and continued in different periods of the monument's life to fill the gaps between the lower level of the building and the ground, which continued to sink. In 1940, during the Second World War, various vehicles and materials were installed in the central nave. Realizing the fragility of the place, they decided to inject several tons of concrete pour into the subsoil. Thus, the damage will accelerate until 1993.
Restoration campaign
The French Ministry of Culture and Communication began the restoration file. The works were awarded to the Public Establishment of Master of Works for Cultural Works (EMOC).
The people who took charge of the restoration work were Alain-Charles Perrot[35] and Jean-Loup Roubert.[36].
Programming of the work.
The work was carried out in two phases:
• - First phase, (November 2001 - August 2004): review of part of the foundations by dismantling and reviewing and replacing the chariots, made of rejected copper, and their iron frame.[3].
• - Second phase, (2002-end of 2007): repair of the walls and other cracked masonry, the stained glass and the deformed or old roofs, since 2005, with a plastering of the facades, a restoration of the large exterior mosaic frieze and a second and final campaign to consolidate the foundations.[3].
This last phase should be delayed due to a postponement, in February 2006, in the granting of credits for the restoration of the exteriors.
The planned budget for this work reaches 101.36 million euros, of which 72.3 million were allocated to the first phase.[37] Financing was secured thanks to the French state, through the French Ministry of Culture.
Some figures
• - The foundations:.
• - 8,900 square meters of carved walls were used, executed with nearly 6,600 cubic meters of concrete.[3].
• - 2,000 concrete pillars placed, with nearly 10,000 tons of cement.[3].
• - The central nave:.
• - Length: 200 meters.[6].
• - Width: 50 meters, 100 meters at the main entrance.
• - Height: 35 meters under the metal frame, 45 meters high under the dome, and 60 meters under the lantern.[6].
• - Surface: 13,500 square meters.[6].
• - The metal frame:
The weight of the upper part of the central nave is 6,000 tons of steel, of which 600 tons were replaced during the first phase of the restoration work, and adding those of the other naves make a total of 8,500 tons.[38]
Number of trundles replaced: about 15,000.
Painted surface: 110,000 square meters.
Weight of the new paint: 60 tons, in three layers, that is, practically the equivalent of 2,000 pots of paint weighing 30 kilos each.
• - The different glazings:
Replaced surface: 13,500 square meters in the central nave and 15,000 square meters including the side windows.[38].
• - Roofs and metal works.
• - They have been replaced:
750 meters of lead gutters and 110 meters of zinc gutters.[3]
1,200 meters of stamped zinc ornaments.[3]
5,200 square meters of zinc terraces.[3].
Recovery of the original color: brief history of “reseda” green
Before the beginning of the first rehabilitation work on the central nave of the Grand Palais, when the question arose of what color to choose for the coating of the metal structure, which in 2001, after the numerous repainting works of the building throughout its history, was close to gray, the possibility of restoring the original color of 1900 was raised.
To achieve this, a series of studies and investigations were undertaken:
• - The dismantling of the riveted plates that bore the names of the companies that had participated in the work at the end of the century left the less exposed parts of the coating visible, revealing a color close to light green.[39].
• - Samples of the coating were subjected to physicochemical analysis in the research laboratory for historical monuments of Champs-sur-Marne, including inspections using a scanning electron microscope. The examinations made it possible to determine the number of layers of paint, their composition and the different pigments used for each of them. The oldest was subjected to prolonged exposure to ultraviolet rays to evaluate its behavior against aging.[39].
• - The search for the specifications and formulation of the original product used in the construction of 1900. To do this, the manufacturer supplying the paint was investigated, finding that it was a company that popularized the "Ripolin" brand, with which a range of plastic paints is generically known in French, and that still kept the files on the period in question. Thanks to this, it was possible to find the product supplied at the time which had been called “mignonette” green. However, under the same name of mignonette green, three shades were still marketed: pale, medium and dark, so analyzes had to be carried out that concluded that the paint originally used was "pale mignonette green."[39].
After the restoration in 2005, the metal frame can be seen painted with a color strictly identical to that used at the time of its construction completion, at the end of the century.
This painting, according to a press release from the French Ministry of Culture, would be susceptible to obtaining the "Grand Palais Green" trademark, similar to what happened with "Eiffel Tower Brown."[40].
New window glazing
The restoration of the framework will also lead to the rehabilitation of the stained glass window and its unsightly texture. During the preliminary study, the architect Alain-Charles Perrot suggested that the initial pattern and width of the windows, denatured during a review campaign, be restored. Furthermore, the constitution of the glass does not correspond to the safety rules required today. The wired glass of that time was replaced by modern laminated glass,[41] which has two primary qualities:
• - Allows maintenance personnel to circulate on the exterior walkways without danger. The reinforced glass, although reinforced by a wire frame, was not capable of withstanding the fall of a man, which after passing through the glass, was a fatal fall. The new glass, without a notable increase in weight, avoids this inconvenience and is, in addition, easier to maintain.
• - Free of internal armor and finishing defects of the old material, the laminated glass, although thicker (9 mm), is more transparent.[41] The overall appearance of the stained glass windows in the central nave and the atmosphere that reigns inside the building transformed it. Although this transparency does not completely correspond to the original state, the improvement brought about in the use of exhibition spaces cannot be denied. The visible reflections of the exterior were also modified. The treatments applied to the surface of the stained glass provided a final touch and transformed the perception that could be had while walking in the immediate surroundings of the Grand Palais.
Reopening and future of the Grand Palais
En obra desde el 2002, la nave central fue abierta excepcionalmente durante dos semanas al gran público, con ocasión de los Jornadas europeas del patrimonio de 2005.[3] La finalización de la restauración tuvo lugar en el año 2007.
Se ha realizado un vídeo de 52 minutos sobre la restauración del edificio, explicado por Alain-Charles Perrot, que fue proyectado el 21 de octubre de 2004 en la «Universidad de todos los saberes».
Reuse of the palace from 2007
The French Minister of Culture and Communication, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, expressed the idea of transforming the site into a "Public Establishment of the Grand Palace", instead of entrusting its management and programming to private organizations.
The Grand Palais thus enjoys the status of a public industrial and commercial establishment, since January 1, 2007.[42].
• - Companies participating in the restoration of the Grand Palais.
• - Paris Universal Exposition (1900) "Paris Universal Exposition (1900)").
• - Petit-Palais Museum.
• - Rome Prize.
• - Alexander III Bridge.
• - Gilles Plum, (1993) Le Grand Palais, l'aventure du Palais des Beaux-Arts, Paris: ed. Réunion des Musées Nationaux, distribution Le Seuil.
• - « Grand Palais: les sommets de la restauration », in Atrium construction, nº11, Paris, June/July 2004.
• - Jean Monneret, (2006) Le Grand Palais, regard de Jean Monneret, Paris: ed. Meeting of national museums. ISBN 2-7118-5191-5.
• - Bernard Marrey, (2006) Le Grand Palais. Sa construction, son histoire, Paris: ed. Picard. ISBN 2-7084-0776-7.
• - Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia gallery about Grand Palais.
• - Location of the Grand Palais.
In Spanish.
• - Official page of the National Galleries of the Grand Palais.
• - Article about the reopening of the central nave.
• - Video of the Grand Palais of Cuatrosfera.
In French.
• - Official page of the Grand Palais.
• - Grand Palais.
• - Gallery of images from 2005 of the Grand Palais, on the occasion of its reopening.
• - French Ministry of Culture.
• - Palace of Discovery website Archived October 28, 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
• - The Grand Palais Photographs of the Grand Palais.
References
[1] ↑ «Exposición Universal de 1900». BIE Web Site. Archivado desde el original el 27 de noviembre de 2015. Consultado el 21 de febrero de 2007. Exposición Universal de 1900 (enlace roto disponible en Internet Archive; véase el historial, la primera versión y la última).: http://web.archive.org/web/http://www.bie-paris.org/main/pages/files/expos/1900-bis.pdf
[31] ↑ Boyd, James P. The Paris Exposition of 1900. Philidelphia: P.W. Ziegler & Co., 1901. 167-202. citado por Sesan Iwarere.
[32] ↑ Chandler, Albert. «Culmination - The Paris Exposition Universelle 1900.» . «Progress of the Preparations for the Exhibition of 1900.» The American Architect and Building News. Vol 57. no. 1133 11 Sept 1897. 90-91, citado por Sean Iwarere.
[33] ↑ Herbert, James D. Paris 1937: Worlds On Exhibition. Ithaca, N. Y.: Cornell University Press. 100., citado por Sean Iwarere.
[34] ↑ Debido al peligro que representa la caída de nuevos roblones sobre el público.
[35] ↑ Arquitecto jefe de monumentos históricos de Francia.
[36] ↑ Primer segundo Gran Premio de Roma en 1962, conservador del Grand Palais y arquitecto jefe de los edificios parisinos y palacios nacionales.
On June 12, 1975, the central nave of the building was classified as a Historical Monument, a classification that was extended on November 6, 2000 to the entire 40,000 m² of the Grand Palais.[4].
On July 13, 2008, it hosted the founding summit of heads of State and Government of the Union for the Mediterranean.[5].
It was the setting for the Mission Impossible: Fallout movie starring Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill.
History
Project conception
Following the decision made by the French government in 1892 to organize a new universal exhibition in 1900, its preparatory commission recommended the demolition of the Palace of Industry, built in 1855, and the construction of a new building that would improve the urban environment of the esplanade where the event would take place, so that a wide road could be opened that would link in perspective the axis of the Place des Invalides with the Avenue des Champs. Elysées.[6] Once the plan was drawn up, by decree of April 22, 1896, it was decided to organize a competition of ideas among architects for its design,[7] but contrary to what was planned for the buildings of the Opera Garnier, in 1875, or that of the old Trocadero palace, in 1878, the competition was not international in nature and was reserved only for the participation of architects of French nationality.
After a bitter debate between the organizers, the press and the general public, a single winner could not be chosen, so a team of four architects was selected to make a synthesis of their proposals and agree on a common project. The general direction was entrusted to Charles-Louis Girault, while the other three architects, Deglane, Louvet and Thomas each specialized in the construction of the different sections of the building:[8].
• - Charles-Louis Girault (Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, 1851 - Paris, 1932): In charge of the general direction of the work, he supervised the final preparation of the plans. He had to ensure, at the same time, the mastery of the work of the Petit Palais, later converted into the Museum of Fine Arts in Paris.[7].
• - Henri-Adolphe-Auguste Deglane (Paris, 1855 - Paris, 1931): He was in charge of the construction of the north and south naves, the main nave and its transverse part, called "paddock", the façades and decorated with friezes and mosaics, which surround it, and in particular of the main entrance and the peristyle located on both sides of the "new avenue", future avenue Nicholas II, later called Winston Churchill.[7].
• - Albert-Félix-Théophile Thomas (Marseille, 1847 - Paris, 1907): He carried out the construction of the west wing, the "Antin Palace" and the corresponding elevations on Antin Avenue, the future Victor Emmanuel III Avenue, later named Franklin Delano Roosevelt Avenue.[7].
• - Louis-Albert Louvet (Paris, 1860 - Paris, 1936): Author of the plan, he had the responsibility of building the central section, which symmetrically connects the works of Deglane and Thomas, including the "Hall of Honor." In coordination with Deglane, he also participated in the grand staircase of honor and the decoration of the back wall of the paddock.[7]
construction work
Construction work began in the spring of 1897 with the progressive demolition of the Palace of Industry, which definitively disappeared in 1899, while three teams chosen by each architect advanced according to each work plan at their own pace and knowledge.
The work, for which up to 1,500 workers were mobilized, applied new construction techniques such as the use of reinforced concrete according to a system patented in 1892 by François Hennebique,[6] along with a deployment of considerable means for the time: steam pilers for the foundation, railway tracks for transporting the material, steam engines for the dynamos "Dinamo (electric generator)") to drive cutting saws, an overhead crane for handling large blocks, interior rails, mobile scaffolding or a ramp from the bank of the Seine for the approach of quarry barges.[9] The Exhibition itself highlighted the technical skills of the Moisant-Laurent-Savey company that were used for the mobile metal handling part deployed on the sides of the Champs-Elysées and Avenue d'Antin, while also praising those of the company Moisant in charge of the iron and steel carpentry of the grand staircase designed by Louvet.[10].
The heterogeneous characteristics of the soil, hard on the north side, where the Palace of Industry was located, but of poor quality on the south side, on alluvium of the Seine, caused a delay of 8 months on the original plan, requiring a difficult foundation work that required the use of 3,400 oak piles, 25 to 35 cm in diameter, which drilled up to 12 meters deep into the calcareous basal soil.
For the walls, the double wall technique was applied, an exterior stonework leaf, made up of stone blocks from various sites throughout France, and an interior leaf, made of brick and masonry. For its part, the metal carpentry was assembled, contrary to usual practice, without expansion joints and the masonry work was barely finished, which was followed by the decoration work by artists selected by each team of architects.
At the end of the execution period of the work, a structure had been formed for which 8,500 tons of material were used, 500 more than those required for the Eiffel Tower and 2,000 less than those of the Orsay Station,[6] however, on the day of the inauguration some interior sections were still unfinished.[11].
The construction of the Grand Palais in Paris had a total cost of 24 million francs at the time,[12][13] of which, as the Exhibition guide highlighted, 300,000 francs had been allocated solely to the important sculptural groups of the Récipon chariots.
The difficulties of the terrain would return to the present shortly after, when Alfred Picard, general curator of the exhibition, published a report in 1903 in which he warned of the existence of structural problems in the building, as a probable consequence of the drop in the level of the water table, which would cause numerous restoration interventions throughout its history until reaching the major work undertaken from 1993 onwards.[14].
Opening
The inauguration of the Grand Palais was carried out with all the pomp of the Third French Republic, then at the center of a political crisis caused by the controversial Dreyfus affair, in a ceremony held on May 1, 1900, in the presence of Émile Loubet (1838-1929), president of the French Republic, and René Waldeck-Rousseau (1846-1904), president of the Council and minister of the Interior and Culture of France, by Georges Leygues (1857-1933), Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts, by Alexandre Millerand (1859-1943), Minister of Commerce, Industry, Post Office and Telecommunications, and Alfred Picard (1844-1913), General Curator of the Paris Universal Exposition "Paris Universal Exhibition (1900)"). An inscription engraved in the stone of one of the corners of the building's walls commemorates the event.[2].
During the Universal Exhibition, the Grand Palais served both for the exhibition of pictorial works in the various rooms then set up on the first floor, as well as for holding concerts in the hall of honor behind the grand staircase, and even equestrian competitions thanks to the stables prepared in the basements of the palace and which were connected by gently sloping ramps with the competition arenas outside.[12].
Halls and exhibitions
Initially conceived as the Palace of Fine Arts for functions intended for exhibitions and celebrations of artistic exhibitions, the Grand Palais has expanded the thematic variety of its activities throughout its history.
Artistic rooms.
The halls dedicated to the fine arts experienced their golden age in the first thirty years of the existence of the Grand Palais. With the advent of the Popular Front "Popular Front (France)") in 1936, these presentations, considered by some as an expression of art reserved for the bourgeois elite, progressively lost prestige and saw their surface considerably reduced in favor of the definitive installation of the Palais de la Découverte (Palace of Discovery) dedicated to applied sciences, in 1937 at the initiative of the physicist Jean Perrin. After the Second World War, the artistic salons lasted a little longer, until they saw their exhibition space decrease and they were confined to the less noble and visible places of the Grand Palace.
The following art salons have been held at the Grand Palais:
• - Salon of French artists (1901).
• - Salon of independent artists (1901).
• - Hall of the National Society of Fine Arts (1901).
• - Hall of Orientalism (1901).
• - Hall of painters, engravers and lithographers (1901).
• - Hall of the Union of Women Painters and Sculptors (1901).
• - Autumn Salon (1903 to 1993).
• - Hall of Applied Arts (1925).
• - Paris Art Salon (2006).
Technical rooms.
After the Second World War, the holding of technical and commercial exhibitions was promoted, as it was considered at the time that they were more profitable than artistic ones. However, these types of exhibitions declined in the Grand Palais from the 1960s until they were moved to the Centre des nouvelles industries et technologies ("Center of new industries and technologies") or to the "Gate of Versailles" exhibition park.
• - Automobile show (1901 to 1961).[15].
• - Agricultural and horticultural machinery show.
• - International Exhibition of Aerial Locomotion (1909 - 1952), which was initially held in the facilities of the Motor Show, after its independence from this exhibition it took the name of "Hall of Aeronautics" and then "Hall of the Aeronautical Industry" before moving in 1953 to the premises of Le Bourget airport.
Commercial rooms.
These exhibitions also left the Grand Palais due to lack of available space.
• - Hall of Domestic Arts, the former Hall of Household Appliances (1926-1960, with a break from 1940-1947).
Architecture
Contenido
El Grand Palais constituye un resumen de los gustos de la «Belle Époque "Belle Époque (Historia)")» resultado del eclecticismo libre del «estilo de Bellas Artes» parisino. Al mismo tiempo, su concepción marcó el principio de una época de la arquitectura donde el dueño de la obra, a la vez artista y técnico, ocupa un papel preponderante. La obra supuso también un retorno al empleo de la piedra ricamente ornamentada, en contraste con otras obras contemporáneas impulsadas en hierro y acero como comentaba el escritor Paul Morand,[28] y uno de los últimos jalones de una época anterior a la era de la electricidad, cuando las grandes estructuras en vidrio transparentes, herederas del The Crystal Palace de Londres, concebido por Joseph Paxton en 1851,[6] permitían el aporte de la luz natural indispensable para el desarrollo de las funciones de exposición a las que se destinó el edificio.
Plant: naves and roof
The central nave, with a length of approximately 240 meters, is made up of an imposing roof, a space topped by a wide stained glass window. The barrel vault, slightly lowered in the north and south naves and in the transverse nave, and the dome and dome, composed of steel and glass, weigh about 9,000 tons and rise to 45 meters high from the roof, reaching 60 meters in the sphere of the lantern.[6] The weight of metal used, about 7,000 tons, exceeds that of the Eiffel Tower.
At first, construction and internal functioning were organized along an east-west axis. The communication between the large nave and other parts of the palace, such as the hall of honor, the central wing and the Antin Palace, was done by a wide iron staircase, of classical inspiration tinged with modernism "Modernism (art)"). The stable installation of the Palace of Discovery, starting in 1937, occupying the space of the Antin Palace, affected the distribution plan of the interior circulations and disabled one of the dimensions of the building along with the accessory and decorative grand staircase of honor, which rested on a blind wall and a wide door, in full falsework, which has since been walled.
The ships are covered by a metal frame, mignonette green, which unites all the pieces of laminated glass, which gives great luminosity to the ships.
Deglane facade and colonnade
The main façade, open in perfect symmetry on the avenue of Nicholas II, is made up of a showy colonnade or peristyle, the work of Deglane, inspired by the one conceived by Claude Perrault for the Louvre in the time of Louis For some critics, it is hidden, as in the Orsay station, which was built by Victor Laloux for the same Exhibition, due to the innovation of the metal structure. Behind large arches, each divided by double columns, they lie facing the central door, at whose bases there are four statues evoking the idealized figures of the arts of "Architecture", "Painting", "Sculpture" and "Music".[28].
The exterior friezes, designed by Edouard Fournier") are an extensive mosaic of about seventy-five meters in length, made according to traditional techniques and offer the view of a long band, close-up of bright colors, enhanced with gold,[29] that reproduce several representative scenes of the great civilizations of history, as they were imagined at the end of the century. Thus, they follow one another from Egypt to Mesopotamia, from the Rome of Caesar Augustus to the Greece of the century Pericles, from the Italian Renaissance to the France of the Middle Ages and from industrial Europe to that of the classical and baroque arts.[29].
The most distant civilizations were not forgotten, glorifying this passage of the period, then at its peak, of the great colonizing nations of: Mediterranean and sub-Saharan Africa, the East and the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and the Indochina of the Khmers and the temples of Angkor, Cochinchina and the Anamite landscapes around the city of Hué "Huế (provincial city)"), the Far East with representations of the mysterious China and Japan, then fashionable since the recent enthusiasm of impressionist painters and writers for this country, and evocations of both Americas.[29].
Balustrade: the chariots of Récipon
The balustrades that top the facades are decorated on their sides by large double vessels, while the main one, again in an interest of attracting the viewer's attention to the entrance, is reserved for the exhibition space of two sculptural groups of exceptional elaboration, the work of the artist Georges Récipon, which made of bronze, crown from a height of forty meters the entrances and their pediment, in the northeast and southeast of the Grand Palais, representing two allegorical themes in the form of chariots:.
• - On the Champs-Elysées side: l'Inmortalité devançant le Temps, "Immortality advancing Time";[30].
• - On the side of the Seine: L'Harmonie triomphant de la Discorde, "Harmony triumphant over Discord".[30].
Each chariot is made up of three main structural parts and accessory elements:
• - The exterior is made up of embossed copper plates, which together weigh 5 tons.[30].
• - A metal frame, consisting of a main structure anchored to the mass covered with masonry and to which a secondary structure is attached. This set weighs 7 tons.[30].
• - The main structure is anchored to the masonry of the stone plinth, through a metal cage, the interior of which is filled with ballast. This set weighs 11 tons.[30].
• - Ceramic accessories: on the wheels of the cars and on the winged lions located at the back of the car.[30].
The chariots were removed from the corners of the Grand Palais between July and September 2001, to be restored throughout 2003. In 2004, they were returned to their location in April of that year.[30].
Architectural criticism
The Grand Palais did not leave the community of architects and art critics indifferent, provoking comments and criticism both favorable and against it. Thus, one of the most common objections was the feeling of excess and overload of details, with over-elaborations considered unnecessary. For specialists such as James P. Boyd,[31] the glass and steel construction of the roof was not as aesthetically notable as the work on the façade, which was therefore diminished, while World's Fair Magazine lamented the appearance similar to a "large train station" and the contrast of materials.[32].
However, for favorable critics, such as Herbert E. Butler of the Art Journal, the Grand Palais must be highlighted for its great beauty resulting from the effect of dimensions on perspective and the combination in the taste and selection of details and colors,[33] or even for James Boyd, who also recognized the success in the balance between the decorative details and the general design of the building.
The great restoration (1993-2005)
En junio de 1993 se dio la alerta tras despegarse un elemento de roblonadura y caer, desde una altura de cerca de treinta y cinco metros, durante una exposición dedicada al diseño.[3].
El entonces ministro de Cultura de Francia, Jacques Toubon"), tomó la decisión de cerrar «provisionalmente» el Grand Palais en noviembre del mismo año.[3][34].
La colocación de redes de protección bajo las vidrieras (véase la imagen de la derecha) y la convocatoria de expertos para paliar esta situación no bastaron para mantener el Palacio abierto al público. Sólo y después de los necesarios trabajos para garantizar la seguridad, las Galerías nacionales y el Palacio del Descubrimiento estuvieron nuevamente disponibles. La utilización de la nave central se interrumpió durante doce años.
Incidents found
Various defects appeared throughout the century and, from the beginning of the work, in the southern area of the central nave. During construction, these unforeseen events were all the more serious, since there was no question of delaying the delivery date of the Grand Palais.
The behavior of the masonry and the metal framework comes from various factors:
• - The foundations of the building, on the one hand made up of oak stakes, support stone or concrete masses, which were subject to variations and a progressive decrease in the water table. Due to successive work campaigns, readjustments of the public road service and the pier on the bank of the Seine, this phenomenon caused a washout and, as a consequence, rot due to oxidation of the heads of the posts. The subsidence forced the designers to first increase the number of stakes to rectify and then slightly increase the masonry and the profile of the framework in which the movements of the ground were reflected. About 2,000 new poles were eventually installed, but they fell short of reaching the "good ground." This stable geological bed is located at a depth of between 15 and 20 meters deep.[3].
• - The alluvial nature of the terrain and its natural tendency to slide towards the bed of the Seine.
• - The shocks suffered directly by the metal structure, at the mercy of the creation of imposing sets or exhibitions, such as the Aeronautics Show, where there were balloons, sometimes presented in suspension. This caused premature aging of several metal elements.
• - The use of the Grand Palais for equestrian presentations resulted in an alteration in the base of several pillars, due to the acidity of the soil, which absorbed the urine of the horses.
• - The superior use of riveted steel sheets in the conception of the metal structure, instead of iron elements, as with the Eiffel Tower. This material, at the time of the work, was less flexible and expanded less than that manufactured today, in addition to the fact that this connection of more than two hundred meters did not contain any expansion joints.
• - The deformation of frames and other elements, due to differential settlements and also to the weight of the dome.
• - The first cracks that appeared were caused by water entering through the glass, which caused a slow corrosion of the metal.
In the course of the studies that preceded the recent recovery work, it was estimated that the subsidence of the foundation masses of the southern wing was up to 14 cm and that there was a height variation, in the metal part of the work, of 7 cm.[3] These values, seemingly negligible, were sufficient to cause considerable structural damage.
First restoration work
Injections of materials of various natures began very early and continued in different periods of the monument's life to fill the gaps between the lower level of the building and the ground, which continued to sink. In 1940, during the Second World War, various vehicles and materials were installed in the central nave. Realizing the fragility of the place, they decided to inject several tons of concrete pour into the subsoil. Thus, the damage will accelerate until 1993.
Restoration campaign
The French Ministry of Culture and Communication began the restoration file. The works were awarded to the Public Establishment of Master of Works for Cultural Works (EMOC).
The people who took charge of the restoration work were Alain-Charles Perrot[35] and Jean-Loup Roubert.[36].
Programming of the work.
The work was carried out in two phases:
• - First phase, (November 2001 - August 2004): review of part of the foundations by dismantling and reviewing and replacing the chariots, made of rejected copper, and their iron frame.[3].
• - Second phase, (2002-end of 2007): repair of the walls and other cracked masonry, the stained glass and the deformed or old roofs, since 2005, with a plastering of the facades, a restoration of the large exterior mosaic frieze and a second and final campaign to consolidate the foundations.[3].
This last phase should be delayed due to a postponement, in February 2006, in the granting of credits for the restoration of the exteriors.
The planned budget for this work reaches 101.36 million euros, of which 72.3 million were allocated to the first phase.[37] Financing was secured thanks to the French state, through the French Ministry of Culture.
Some figures
• - The foundations:.
• - 8,900 square meters of carved walls were used, executed with nearly 6,600 cubic meters of concrete.[3].
• - 2,000 concrete pillars placed, with nearly 10,000 tons of cement.[3].
• - The central nave:.
• - Length: 200 meters.[6].
• - Width: 50 meters, 100 meters at the main entrance.
• - Height: 35 meters under the metal frame, 45 meters high under the dome, and 60 meters under the lantern.[6].
• - Surface: 13,500 square meters.[6].
• - The metal frame:
The weight of the upper part of the central nave is 6,000 tons of steel, of which 600 tons were replaced during the first phase of the restoration work, and adding those of the other naves make a total of 8,500 tons.[38]
Number of trundles replaced: about 15,000.
Painted surface: 110,000 square meters.
Weight of the new paint: 60 tons, in three layers, that is, practically the equivalent of 2,000 pots of paint weighing 30 kilos each.
• - The different glazings:
Replaced surface: 13,500 square meters in the central nave and 15,000 square meters including the side windows.[38].
• - Roofs and metal works.
• - They have been replaced:
750 meters of lead gutters and 110 meters of zinc gutters.[3]
1,200 meters of stamped zinc ornaments.[3]
5,200 square meters of zinc terraces.[3].
Recovery of the original color: brief history of “reseda” green
Before the beginning of the first rehabilitation work on the central nave of the Grand Palais, when the question arose of what color to choose for the coating of the metal structure, which in 2001, after the numerous repainting works of the building throughout its history, was close to gray, the possibility of restoring the original color of 1900 was raised.
To achieve this, a series of studies and investigations were undertaken:
• - The dismantling of the riveted plates that bore the names of the companies that had participated in the work at the end of the century left the less exposed parts of the coating visible, revealing a color close to light green.[39].
• - Samples of the coating were subjected to physicochemical analysis in the research laboratory for historical monuments of Champs-sur-Marne, including inspections using a scanning electron microscope. The examinations made it possible to determine the number of layers of paint, their composition and the different pigments used for each of them. The oldest was subjected to prolonged exposure to ultraviolet rays to evaluate its behavior against aging.[39].
• - The search for the specifications and formulation of the original product used in the construction of 1900. To do this, the manufacturer supplying the paint was investigated, finding that it was a company that popularized the "Ripolin" brand, with which a range of plastic paints is generically known in French, and that still kept the files on the period in question. Thanks to this, it was possible to find the product supplied at the time which had been called “mignonette” green. However, under the same name of mignonette green, three shades were still marketed: pale, medium and dark, so analyzes had to be carried out that concluded that the paint originally used was "pale mignonette green."[39].
After the restoration in 2005, the metal frame can be seen painted with a color strictly identical to that used at the time of its construction completion, at the end of the century.
This painting, according to a press release from the French Ministry of Culture, would be susceptible to obtaining the "Grand Palais Green" trademark, similar to what happened with "Eiffel Tower Brown."[40].
New window glazing
The restoration of the framework will also lead to the rehabilitation of the stained glass window and its unsightly texture. During the preliminary study, the architect Alain-Charles Perrot suggested that the initial pattern and width of the windows, denatured during a review campaign, be restored. Furthermore, the constitution of the glass does not correspond to the safety rules required today. The wired glass of that time was replaced by modern laminated glass,[41] which has two primary qualities:
• - Allows maintenance personnel to circulate on the exterior walkways without danger. The reinforced glass, although reinforced by a wire frame, was not capable of withstanding the fall of a man, which after passing through the glass, was a fatal fall. The new glass, without a notable increase in weight, avoids this inconvenience and is, in addition, easier to maintain.
• - Free of internal armor and finishing defects of the old material, the laminated glass, although thicker (9 mm), is more transparent.[41] The overall appearance of the stained glass windows in the central nave and the atmosphere that reigns inside the building transformed it. Although this transparency does not completely correspond to the original state, the improvement brought about in the use of exhibition spaces cannot be denied. The visible reflections of the exterior were also modified. The treatments applied to the surface of the stained glass provided a final touch and transformed the perception that could be had while walking in the immediate surroundings of the Grand Palais.
Reopening and future of the Grand Palais
En obra desde el 2002, la nave central fue abierta excepcionalmente durante dos semanas al gran público, con ocasión de los Jornadas europeas del patrimonio de 2005.[3] La finalización de la restauración tuvo lugar en el año 2007.
Se ha realizado un vídeo de 52 minutos sobre la restauración del edificio, explicado por Alain-Charles Perrot, que fue proyectado el 21 de octubre de 2004 en la «Universidad de todos los saberes».
Reuse of the palace from 2007
The French Minister of Culture and Communication, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, expressed the idea of transforming the site into a "Public Establishment of the Grand Palace", instead of entrusting its management and programming to private organizations.
The Grand Palais thus enjoys the status of a public industrial and commercial establishment, since January 1, 2007.[42].
• - Companies participating in the restoration of the Grand Palais.
• - Paris Universal Exposition (1900) "Paris Universal Exposition (1900)").
• - Petit-Palais Museum.
• - Rome Prize.
• - Alexander III Bridge.
• - Gilles Plum, (1993) Le Grand Palais, l'aventure du Palais des Beaux-Arts, Paris: ed. Réunion des Musées Nationaux, distribution Le Seuil.
• - « Grand Palais: les sommets de la restauration », in Atrium construction, nº11, Paris, June/July 2004.
• - Jean Monneret, (2006) Le Grand Palais, regard de Jean Monneret, Paris: ed. Meeting of national museums. ISBN 2-7118-5191-5.
• - Bernard Marrey, (2006) Le Grand Palais. Sa construction, son histoire, Paris: ed. Picard. ISBN 2-7084-0776-7.
• - Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia gallery about Grand Palais.
• - Location of the Grand Palais.
In Spanish.
• - Official page of the National Galleries of the Grand Palais.
• - Article about the reopening of the central nave.
• - Video of the Grand Palais of Cuatrosfera.
In French.
• - Official page of the Grand Palais.
• - Grand Palais.
• - Gallery of images from 2005 of the Grand Palais, on the occasion of its reopening.
• - French Ministry of Culture.
• - Palace of Discovery website Archived October 28, 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
• - The Grand Palais Photographs of the Grand Palais.
References
[1] ↑ «Exposición Universal de 1900». BIE Web Site. Archivado desde el original el 27 de noviembre de 2015. Consultado el 21 de febrero de 2007. Exposición Universal de 1900 (enlace roto disponible en Internet Archive; véase el historial, la primera versión y la última).: http://web.archive.org/web/http://www.bie-paris.org/main/pages/files/expos/1900-bis.pdf
[31] ↑ Boyd, James P. The Paris Exposition of 1900. Philidelphia: P.W. Ziegler & Co., 1901. 167-202. citado por Sesan Iwarere.
[32] ↑ Chandler, Albert. «Culmination - The Paris Exposition Universelle 1900.» . «Progress of the Preparations for the Exhibition of 1900.» The American Architect and Building News. Vol 57. no. 1133 11 Sept 1897. 90-91, citado por Sean Iwarere.
[33] ↑ Herbert, James D. Paris 1937: Worlds On Exhibition. Ithaca, N. Y.: Cornell University Press. 100., citado por Sean Iwarere.
[34] ↑ Debido al peligro que representa la caída de nuevos roblones sobre el público.
[35] ↑ Arquitecto jefe de monumentos históricos de Francia.
[36] ↑ Primer segundo Gran Premio de Roma en 1962, conservador del Grand Palais y arquitecto jefe de los edificios parisinos y palacios nacionales.
• - Contests and presentations at the «Hockey Society Hall» (1900-1937).
• - Colony exhibitions.
• - Concerts, circus shows such as the Boys' Circus[16] or music hall shows, conferences, fashion shows and various parties.
Palace of Discovery.
The Palace of Discovery, built during the Second Category General Exhibition of Paris "General Exhibition of the Second Category of Paris (1937)"), in 1937 on the initiative of the physicist Jean Perrin, is installed in the former Antin Palace, in the west wing. Conceived, at first, as a space for temporary exhibitions, it managed, after several incidents, to remain in the Grand Palais and occupy its own place of 25,000 m² of surface,[17] achieving greater popularity over time than anticipated in its beginnings.
Galeries nationales du Grand Palais (National Galleries)[17].
In 1964, Reynold Arnould prepared a part of the north wing of the Grand Palais at the request of André Malraux, the then Minister of Culture of France, for a new section, the Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, intended to receive large temporary exhibitions of collections from the country's national museums,[18] hosting in 1966, a retrospective of the painter Pablo Picasso and an important presentation of African art. As a result of the success found, the French Government renounced its eventual project to demolish the historic Grand Palais and the building that it later transformed into the Orsay Museum. In 1991, during the exhibition dedicated to the artist Georges Seurat, the Grand Palais suffered the first theft in its history, which affected the work Cocher de fiacre (Horse-carriage Coachman), from 1887.[19].
Other exhibitions held in the National Galleries:.
• - «Once upon a time Walt Disney. To the sources of the art of the Disney studio", from September 16, 2006 to January 15, 2007.[20].
• - "The New Realists", from March 28 to July 2, 2007.[21].
• - «The Gupta Empire. The Golden Age of Indian Civilization", from April 4 to July 8, 2007.[22].
• - «Design against Design. Two centuries of creations", from September 26, 2007 to January 8, 2008 (National Galleries).[23].
• - «Courbet», from October 10, 2007 to January 28, 2008 (National Galleries).[24].
Other exhibitions.
• - "Submerged treasures of Egypt", from December 9, 2006 to March 16, 2007 (Central nave).[25].
• - «Monumenta 2007», from May 30 to July 8, 2007 (Central nave)-[26].
• - «Art in Capital», from November 22 to December 2, 2007. (Central nave).[27].
Other curious uses.
Throughout the century, the Grand Palais has sometimes been a victim of the dramas of History and at other times, a witness to often unforeseen reuses.
• - At the beginning of the First World War, the Grand Palais was used as a barracks for colonial troops en route to the front before being set up as an improvised hospital for the wounded of the Navy who could not find a place in the overcrowded hospitals of the capital.[3].
• - During World War II, the Gran Palais suffered a bombardment and was then requisitioned as a protected storage facility for military vehicles. In August 1944, during the fighting for the Liberation of the capital occupied by the Nazis, it was partially burned as a result of a fire that broke out in the paddock and the northwest gallery.[3].
Later, several institutions and public services of France were installed in the heart of the Grand Palais without provoking any particular reaction from its guardian ministry:.
• - The police station of the VIII arrondissement, in charge of monitoring the Elysée Palace and its entrances.
• - A customs office.
• - Decentralized architecture workshops of the French National Higher School of Fine Arts, converted in 1968 into an architecture pedagogical unit.
• - The European Broadcasting Union of Germanic and Slavic studies, a department of the Sorbonne University.
• - A university restaurant.
• - The Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (DRAC) of the Ile-de-France.
• - A part of the offices of the Photographic Heritage Mission.
• - Various offices and housing for officials.
• - An underground parking lot.
• - Habitat Hall.
• - French Quality Hall.
• - Salon de France Exotica (in 1939 and 1940).
• - Children's Hall.
• - Paris Fair.
• - International Contemporary Art Fair (FIAC).
• - Book Fair (1981-1991).
• - Classical and jazz music hall (Musicora).
Specific events.
• - Contests and presentations at the «Hockey Society Hall» (1900-1937).
• - Colony exhibitions.
• - Concerts, circus shows such as the Boys' Circus[16] or music hall shows, conferences, fashion shows and various parties.
Palace of Discovery.
The Palace of Discovery, built during the Second Category General Exhibition of Paris "General Exhibition of the Second Category of Paris (1937)"), in 1937 on the initiative of the physicist Jean Perrin, is installed in the former Antin Palace, in the west wing. Conceived, at first, as a space for temporary exhibitions, it managed, after several incidents, to remain in the Grand Palais and occupy its own place of 25,000 m² of surface,[17] achieving greater popularity over time than anticipated in its beginnings.
Galeries nationales du Grand Palais (National Galleries)[17].
In 1964, Reynold Arnould prepared a part of the north wing of the Grand Palais at the request of André Malraux, the then Minister of Culture of France, for a new section, the Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, intended to receive large temporary exhibitions of collections from the country's national museums,[18] hosting in 1966, a retrospective of the painter Pablo Picasso and an important presentation of African art. As a result of the success found, the French Government renounced its eventual project to demolish the historic Grand Palais and the building that it later transformed into the Orsay Museum. In 1991, during the exhibition dedicated to the artist Georges Seurat, the Grand Palais suffered the first theft in its history, which affected the work Cocher de fiacre (Horse-carriage Coachman), from 1887.[19].
Other exhibitions held in the National Galleries:.
• - «Once upon a time Walt Disney. To the sources of the art of the Disney studio", from September 16, 2006 to January 15, 2007.[20].
• - "The New Realists", from March 28 to July 2, 2007.[21].
• - «The Gupta Empire. The Golden Age of Indian Civilization", from April 4 to July 8, 2007.[22].
• - «Design against Design. Two centuries of creations", from September 26, 2007 to January 8, 2008 (National Galleries).[23].
• - «Courbet», from October 10, 2007 to January 28, 2008 (National Galleries).[24].
Other exhibitions.
• - "Submerged treasures of Egypt", from December 9, 2006 to March 16, 2007 (Central nave).[25].
• - «Monumenta 2007», from May 30 to July 8, 2007 (Central nave)-[26].
• - «Art in Capital», from November 22 to December 2, 2007. (Central nave).[27].
Other curious uses.
Throughout the century, the Grand Palais has sometimes been a victim of the dramas of History and at other times, a witness to often unforeseen reuses.
• - At the beginning of the First World War, the Grand Palais was used as a barracks for colonial troops en route to the front before being set up as an improvised hospital for the wounded of the Navy who could not find a place in the overcrowded hospitals of the capital.[3].
• - During World War II, the Gran Palais suffered a bombardment and was then requisitioned as a protected storage facility for military vehicles. In August 1944, during the fighting for the Liberation of the capital occupied by the Nazis, it was partially burned as a result of a fire that broke out in the paddock and the northwest gallery.[3].
Later, several institutions and public services of France were installed in the heart of the Grand Palais without provoking any particular reaction from its guardian ministry:.
• - The police station of the VIII arrondissement, in charge of monitoring the Elysée Palace and its entrances.
• - A customs office.
• - Decentralized architecture workshops of the French National Higher School of Fine Arts, converted in 1968 into an architecture pedagogical unit.
• - The European Broadcasting Union of Germanic and Slavic studies, a department of the Sorbonne University.
• - A university restaurant.
• - The Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (DRAC) of the Ile-de-France.
• - A part of the offices of the Photographic Heritage Mission.