Petit Palais, Paris

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The Petit Palais (Small Palace), like the Grand Palais just across the street, was built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900. Since 1902, the Petit Palais has been the home of the Fine Arts Museum of the City of Paris. The building was thoroughly and elaborately renovated from 2001 to 2005.

Various art collectors have donated or bequeathed their collections to the museum, so it has numerous and varied works of art on display, from all periods up to the First World War.

As in most of the other city-owned museums in Paris, admission to the permanent collection of the Petit Palais is free. The museum is closed on Mondays but is open on Tuesdays, when most of the big state museums are closed.

Other museums owned by the City of Paris include the house of Balzac, the Musée Carnavalet (museum of the history of Paris), the Musée Cognacq-Jay (museum of the eighteenth century), the Musée de la vie romantique and the house of Victor Hugo at Place des Vosges.

Second photo: Elaborately renovated exhibition hall on the first floor of the Petit Palais, with ceiling paintings and stucco decorations.

Third photo: A painter’s easel and equipment for outdoor painting, including a stool and a sun umbrella.

Fourth photo: Statue and paintings on the ground floor.

Fifth photo: Entrance to the Petit Palais on Avenue Winston Churchill.

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I could say that the "Musée des Beaux Arts de la Ville de Paris" is a mini Louvre plus Orsay with free admission and open on Tuesday when the Louvre is closed.
The building himself is part of a monumental ensemble comprising the Grand Palais, the gardens of the Champs Elysées, and the bridge Alexandre III.
The architecture of the two palaces built for the Exposition Universelle of 1900 has been well described here by others so no need to do it again.

I will therefore concentrate on the content of the museum.
The display of the permanent collection aims at revealing major artistic movements starting with ancient Greece and ending with the Art Nouveau at the begin of the 20th century.
The visit starts at the first floor by the monumental staircase on the Avenue W. Churchill with 3 large rooms showing Paris in 1900, then 10 rooms for the 19th and 18th c. On this floor is a nice interior garden with a Café.
The collection continuous on the ground floor with about 30 rooms with Antiquity, Christian art in the Middle Ages with a remarkable collection of Greek and Russian icons, Renaissance art, 17th c. with a good collection of Flemish and Dutch paintings of the Dutuit bequest. On 4 rooms is a rich collection of 18th c. furniture and decorative art from the Tuck donation.
From the 19th c. are shown a number of paintings from the Romantic, Realist and Impressionist schools.

It's a nice and comfortable museum very well restored and reopened in 2005.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10 - 18 h. Closed on Monday.
Admission: free for permanent collections
Admission charge for temporary exhibitions. Now (14/02 - 14/08/2013) Félix Ziem paintings and watercolours.

Photos allowed without flash.

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The Petit Palace is located opposite the Grand Palace.
I am so glad it is still standing, what a shame it would have been to had this building demolished, yes - that is true! I found it very hard to understand that this beautiful building built in the Beaux Arts-style was built as a temporary structure to host a large exposition of French art, and was meant to be demolished after the exhibition! Thank goodness the Parisians fell in love with the building, and refused to let it be pulled down!

This is where you come to see a collection of art work from various centuries in the Fine Arts Museum. It has been called a mini Louvre. Leave plenty of time to browse, 12,000 prints and hundreds more tapestries, sculptures, medieval objects, rare manuscripts, and icons.

Tour booklets are 1 euro
Audio guides can be hired for 5 euros

Want a rest? There is a garden cafe, bookshop and Gift shop

Access to the permanent collection is FREE but a small admission charge is for temporary exhibits.
OPEN....
daily from 10am to 6pm. Ticket office closed at 5 pm. (Except mondays and public holidays ).
Late night opening Thursday Until 8pm for temporary exhibitions only.
Disabled access.

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The most remarkable work of this museum, at least in my opinion, is a statue in room 1: “Woman with monkey” by Camille Alaphilippe from 1908 (photo 1).
This rather unknown French artist had a very good knowledge of the technique of ceramics. The statue is a composite work of gilded bronze elements, enamelled plates of sandstone, the whole assembled on an iron structure and wood by means of mortar and of plaster. Compared with traditional materials the effect of brightness is striking.
The subject of this statue is extraordinary: a tall and mysterious woman with the typical hairstyle of 1900. She has a particular face (photo 2) with high cheekbones, an elegant neck and keeps a monkey on the leash!
No doubt she is the symbol of the "femme fatale" chaining up an admirer.

Even if you have only a few minutes, enter the Petit Palais (the entry is free) to discover this astonishing and fascinating œuvre.

This same room also contains beautiful glass vases by the famous Gallé (photo 3).

The original intention of my visit to the Petit Palais was to see the collection of French paintings of the 19th century (rooms 3 to 7). There are indeed good paintings of the French realistic, naturalist and impressionist schools.
I particularly liked “the Flour carriers” (1885) of Carrier-Belleuse (photo 4) and the portrait of “Miss de Lancey” (1876) of the painter Carolus-Duran (photo 5) already met at the Orsay museum.

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L'œuvre la plus remarquable de ce musée, du moins à mon avis, est une statue dans la salle 1 des arts décoratifs de 1900. Il s'agit de "La Femme au singe" par Camille Alaphilippe en 1908 (photo 1). Cet artiste français peu connu avait une très bonne connaissance de la technique de la céramique. Sa statue est une œuvre composite d'éléments en bronze dorée, des plaquettes de grès émaillées, le tout monté sur une structure en fer et bois au moyen de mortier et de plâtre.
L'effet de brillance est saisissant comparé aux matériaux traditionnels.

Le sujet est extraordinaire, une femme grande et mystérieuse à la coiffure typique des années 1900 et au visage particulier (photo 2) avec ses pommettes saillantes tient en laisse un petit singe! C'est le symbole de la femme fatale qui tient enchaîné un adorateur.
Même si vous ne disposez que de quelques minutes, entrez au Petit Palais (l'entrée est gratuite) pour découvrir cette œuvre étonnante et fascinante.
Cette même salle contient également de beaux vases en verre du célèbre Gallé (photo 3).

Ma visite avait pour but premier de voir la collection de peinture française du 19e siècle qui se trouve dans la grande salle voisine. On trouve de beaux exemplaires des écoles Réalistes avec Courbet, Naturalistes avec Roll et Pelez ainsi que des Impressionnistes. J'ai particulièrement aimé "Les Porteurs de farine" (1885) de Carrier-Belleuse (photo 4) et le portrait de "Mademoiselle de Lancey" (1876) du peintre Carolus-Duran (photo 5) déjà rencontré au musée d'Orsay.

nice, great expo, and the garden around the cafe is romantic, way back saw the first Inca expo in Paris done here. Another masterful place to visit in Paris. Many lines already at VT, but if need more let me know.
Get here by
Métro: lines 1 and 13, Champs-Elysées Clémenceau station.
RER: line C, Invalides station / line A, Charles de Gaulle-Etoile station.
Bus: 28, 42, 72, 73,83, 93.
Vélib cycle hire: avenue Dutuit.

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The Petit Palais (Small Palace) - a museum in Paris which was built for the Universal Exhibition in 1900 . Now is the houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts.

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.

Open: 10 a.m.-5.40 p.m.
Closed: Monday.

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This museum presents art works from Antiquity to 1900.
Open from 10 AM to 6 PM for permanent exibit (8PM on Thursday for temporary exibits)
Closed on Monday.
The entrance is free for permanent exibit.

It is a good complement after the visit of Louvre and Orsay if you are not ... rid off art. There are several master pieces that come from various collections.

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When I wrote in my introduction that the "Musée des Beaux de la Ville de Paris" is a mini Louvre (open on Tuesday) this becomes quite apparent as soon as the visitor goes down the ground floor. One will find here a number of neoclassical and romantic paintings with well known names like Delacroix and Ingres and sculptures by Carpeaux.
Next are six rooms with paintings from the 17th c. Dutch, Flemish and French schools are represented by works of Rembrandt, Ruysdael, Rubens, Jordaens, Poussin and Claude Lorrain. This collection of paintings is a bequest of the Dutuit brothers in 1902 and is worth the visit by itself. The visit continues with precious objects from the Renaissance and religious art, Gothic as well as Renaissance.

Most interesting, in my opinion, is the large room 36 with numerous paintings and icons from the Orthodox tradition, Greek and Russian from the 15th to 18th c. It is a prestigious collection donated by Roger Cabal.
The visit ends with antiquities from Greece and Rome.

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The entry to the Petit Palais is free. On exhibit are the Beaux Arts Collections of the City of Paris (remember that as a city museum, it is closed on Monday!!!). The collections run into the 19C. More modern work is in other city museums (see website listed below). We particularly admired the following items.

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Upon entering , one encounters a series of vestibules and corridors finished in lush decor with symbolically painted ceilings-quite palatial- and on one floor (petit). The adjoining rooms are filled with paintings and furniture and the corridors and larger areas have sculptures (See next Tip). One easily reaches a large central courtyard encircled by a classic peristyle from which one easily sees the beautiful dome (also visible from afar) decorated with metal sculpture and attractive caryatids.