Grand Palais, Exhibition palace in Champs-Élysées district, France
The Grand Palais is an exhibition hall in the Champs-Élysées district of Paris, standing on Avenue Winston Churchill and overlooking the Seine. Stone facades combine with metal framing and glass vaults, while the central glass dome rises 45 meters (148 feet) above ground and spans the large interior space.
The building was constructed for the Universal Exposition in 1900 to showcase the technical possibilities of the era. During the First World War it served as a military hospital, and later became a meeting point for the Résistance during the Second World War.
The pediment of the west wing, the Palais d'Antin, carries the inscription "a monument dedicated by the Republic to the glory of French art". The building was designed from the outset to house the official salons, and since 1965 it has accommodated the Galeries Nationales. The two quadrigas by Georges Récipon crown the main facade: Immortality Prevailing Over Time on the Champs-Élysées side and Harmony Triumphing Over Discord on the Seine side.
The Grand Palais closed in 2021 for a major restoration and reopened in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics, when its nave hosted fencing and taekwondo. The building stands between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, on Avenue Winston-Churchill, facing the Petit Palais across the avenue; the nearest metro stops are Champs-Élysées-Clemenceau and Franklin-D.-Roosevelt.
A police station operates in the basement to protect artworks during major events. This facility was established after several thefts in the 1980s and remains invisible to the public.
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