Visitors to the Grand Palais are usually bowled over by the building’s monumental scale and the elegance and simplicity of its design. Standing at the center of the nave feels a bit like standing alone in the center of a vast field with nothing on the horizon except sky, only the awe inspired by the Grand Palais makes one recognize the feats of mankind rather than nature. Nothing can substitute for the experience of actually being there, but now you can take a virtual visit to Paris’s great Beaux-Arts icon. Learn all about the history and design of the Grand Palais from the glass roof to the majestic staircase inside the main exhibition space, which hosts a rotating roster of exhibitions and events. Scale the roof and take in the breathtaking views of Paris’s most important monuments from the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides to the Sacré Coeur. Did you know that no part of the glass and zinc roof is flat? Now you can see it up close like never before.
Since 2007, the Grand Palais has hosted a new artist every year for Monumenta. Last year, Daniel Buren took over the space with his playful installation Excentrique(s): In Situ. In 2011, it was Anish Kapoor who filled the vast exhibition space with a work called Leviathan. We brought you inside the Grand Palais for the Biennale des Antiquaires, a tour of the most eminent dealers of fine arts, jewelry, antiques, archeological treasures and other luxury items, and for La Nuit de l’Electro, an epic electro dance party in the nave. Check out their events program for upcoming events, including the Saut Hermès horse show, which is the first equestrian event in the Grand Palais since 1957.
