in Paris, the spectacular rebirth of the Grand Palais

Dormant since it closed in 2021 to enter the most important restoration phase in its history, the Grand Palais made a resounding return to the light last summer. Its nave, 13,500 m^²the backbone and symbol of the building, was one of the heritage jewels chosen to host the Olympic Games events. Like the Eiffel Tower square for beach volleyball, Les Invalides for archery, the Palace of Versailles for horse riding…

The images of fencers competing under the largest glass roof in Europe, the high, rounded and transparent sky of the Grand Palais, have gone around the world. “Unforgettable! The problem is that many people thought that the Grand Palace as a whole was open again, when at the time only the restoration of the nave was completed. The reopening of the entire site will take place until June 2025,” notes Didier Fusillier, president since 2023 of the public establishment managing the Grand Palais, as he guides, in mid-December, during a visit press, an imposing platoon of journalists in the bowels of this cathedral of glass and iron. The jewel of the 1900 Universal Exhibition, built to celebrate faith in progress, science and Art.

The project cost 466 million euros, a sum co-financed by the State, by the Grand Palais, which took out a loan of 150 million over twenty-five years, and by patrons

29 elevators

French and international press, newspapers, TV, radio, web… The media came in large numbers. About a hundred people. This shows the curiosity aroused by the resumption of activities in this monument which has become, thanks to the Olympics, according to Didier Fusillier, “an icon”. One of the main points of departure in the capital for major exhibitions and international events.

The project cost 466 million euros, a sum co-financed by the State, by the Grand Palais, which took out a loan of 150 million over twenty-five years, and by patrons. Chanel in the lead: the haute couture house supported the project to the tune of 25 million euros. She has been holding her fashion shows there for twenty years, at the instigation of Karl Lagerfeld who adored the architecture of this vessel placed on the banks of the Seine.

The building was dilapidated, it was completely renovated. The pipes and electricity have been completely redone. 7,000m^² floor mosaics have been restored. 29 elevators were installed, compared to two previously.

« Hall de gare »

Visiting the site allows you to measure its immensity, 72,000 m^² in all, more than the Palace of Versailles, in the heart of Paris if you please, and the multiplicity of its uses. There is a “Grand Palace”, but under this grandiose roof, a wide range of places and activities.

This hydraulic underfloor heating system has been designed to avoid air conditioning

First the nave, which has been like new since spring. Everything has been repainted. The windows have been completely cleaned. It can now accommodate up to 9,000 people, compared to 6,000 previously. This giant greenhouse could not be used when it was too cold in winter, or too hot in summer: an “active slab”, covered with a network of 46 kilometers of pipes, was set up to produce heat or cold according to needs.

This hydraulic underfloor heating system was designed to avoid air conditioning. “The nave is a covered outdoor space, like a station hall. There are holes everywhere. It would make no sense to air-condition,” argues Didier Fusillier.

Chanel returned to the venue this fall for a fashion show. Then there was the Art Basel fair, a giant ice rink in December… The nave came back to life.

Discovery Palace in June

The exhibition galleries have partly reopened in January, with a retrospective of great visual power, dedicated to the Japanese visual artist Chiharu Shiota, and a presentation of the creations of Italian fashion designers Dolce and Gabbana.

“I want it to be the big party palace”

Other galleries will reopen in the spring, including 2,800 m^² will serve as a fallback base for exhibitions at the Center Pompidou, which in turn will close for five years of work.

Finally, the Palais de la Découverte, a temple of scientific knowledge, also housed in part of the Grand Palais, will reopen in June. Moreover, new, a single ticket will allow visitors to navigate between all these spaces. A way of making this establishment, long considered too fragmented, more fluid and more readable.

Beyond the exhibitions, Didier Fusillier, known for having orchestrated “Lille, European capital of culture” in 2004, above all wants to make the Grand Palais a “place of life and shows”, like the Grande Halle de la Villette which he chaired from 2015 to 2023. He plans a myriad of concerts and evenings. Including a Brazilian parade this summer. His promise? “I want it to be the big party palace.”

Highlights in 2025
Chiharu Shiota“The Soul Trembles”, until March 19. This Japanese artist, born in Osaka in 1972, weaves large and beautiful sculptures, of paradoxical strength, both harsh and soft, in woolen thread. Impressive exhibition, out of 1,200 ^m².
Dolce Gabbana. Designed by fashion historian Florence Müller, entitled “From the Heart to the Hand: Dolce & Gabbana”, the exhibition evokes, in ten rooms and by bringing together 200 unique creations, the work of the couturiers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana and their influences, between ballet, Italian folklore, cinema, dolce vita… Until March 31.
Tapestries. 16 large tapestries, woven at the Beauvais factory and in private workshops in Aubusson, based on designs by four contemporary Danish artists (from June 6 to July 30).
Artificial intelligence. The Palais de la Découverte opens its doors with an exhibition which will decipher the scientific and technical dimensions of AI. From June 6 to the end of October.
Claire Tabouret and Éva Jospin. Two of the most prominent artists on the contemporary French scene are invited to present their works in two galleries from December 2025 to March 2026.
Drawing. 250 drawings from the Center Pompidou collections dated from 1900 to today, signed by the biggest names like Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky (from the end of November 2025 to April 4, 2026).