Galeries nationales (Grand Palais, Champs-Elysées)
Monographs of artists, retrospectives, new creative projects and the latest scientific research, open to 20th-century art movements, all visual arts and all civilizations: the Galeries nationales present a thorough, wide and generous vision of art history.
Since they were founded, the RMN has held nearly 250 major exhibitions at the Galeries nationales, in collaboration with the largest French and foreign museums.
Over nearly 5300m2 of temporary exhibition galleries, the RMN schedules and produces all events, publishes related reference works, manages reception of visitors and commercial operation of venues.
During four major annual exhibitions, which open their doors in the spring and the autumn, the Galeries nationales welcome nearly a million visitors each year.
An historical place
In 1964, then culture minister André Malraux, dedicated part of the Grand Palais building to holding “prestigious temporary exhibitions of an international nature”: the Galeries nationales were born. They have been confirmed since as one of the main venues for holding international exhibitions in France and the world: “Homage to Picasso” in 1966, “Henri Matisse” (1970), “L’Or des Scythes” (1975),“Chardin” (1979), “Monet” (1980), “Manet” (1983), “Turner” (1983), “Watteau” (1984), “Renoir” (1985), “Degas” (1988), “Gauguin” (1989), “Seurat” (1991), “Toulouse-Lautrec” (1992), “Amenophis III” (1993), “Cézanne” (1995), “Picasso and the portrait” (1996) “Georges de La Tour” (1997), “Mediterranean” (2000), “Matisse-Picasso” (2002), “Gauguin-Tahiti” (2003), “Turner-Whistler-Monet” (2004), “Klimt, Schiele, Moser, Kokoschka” (2005), “Once Upon a Time Walt Disney” (2006), “Courbet” (2007) “Picasso and the masters” (2008),“Warhol’s Wide world” (2009) and“Renoir in the 20th Century” (2010) each received several hundred thousand visitors.
A cultural calendar
The Galeries nationales offer everyone, whether visiting the exhibitions or not, a varied and entirely free cultural programme:
talks covering in more depth or extending the themes of the exhibitions (listen to some of the talks online);
readings revealing another side of the artists whose works are exhibited;
documentary and fiction films based around the exhibitions’ themes.
All exhibitions held are accompanied by workshops for children. Specially designed to accompany the exhibition, following a guided tour of the exhibition conducted by an artist, these workshops offer the children a chance to practice their own art. They can then take their work home.
The scheduling committee
The Galeries nationales’ calendar, organized by the RMN, arises from discussions between specialists. A scheduling committee meets, chaired by the heritage curator, an advisor to the general manager, and suggests exhibition projects on advice from a senior committee. Responsibility for each event is entrusted to a scientific commissioner (heritage curator, academic, specialist), while organization is managed by the RMN.
The scheduling committee is run by heritage curator Cécile Debray, and comprises the following members:
Laurence des Cars, head of science for the French international museums agency;
Elisabeth Taburet-Delahaye, director of the national Museum of the Middle Ages – Thermal baths and Hôtel de Cluny;
Sylvie Patry, curator with the Orsay Museum;
Yves Le Fur, deputy director of the Department of Heritage and Collections, responsible for the permanent collections of the Quai Branly museum;
Didier Ottinger, responsible for historical collections at the National Museum of Modern Art/Pompidou Centre;
Vincent Pomarède, head of the paintings department at the Louvre Museum;
Rodolphe Rapetti, deputy director of the Museums of France.
Other areas
The Galeries nationales also comprises:
the auditorium with its cultural programme;
bookstore-shops;
restaurants.
Useful information
Galeries nationales (Grand palais, Champs-Elysées)
3, avenue du Général Eisenhower
75008 Paris
Information
Tel: +33 (0)1 44 13 17 17
Send an email
Reception for groups
Tel: +33 (0)1 44 13 17 64
Fax (groups): +33 (0)1 44 13 17 60
Access
Metro: Champs-Elysées Clémenceau or Franklin-D. Roosevelt
bus: lines 28, 32, 42, 72, 73, 80, 83, 93
Vélib’ stations 8029 and 8001
Opening times
_ Further information about the exhibitions Claude Monet
Further information about the exhibition France 1500
Between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
Advance purchase for individuals
On sale from usual outlets and o site at the National Galleries ticket counters
Services
Reception for disabled visitors
Workshops for children
Group tours
Guided tours in French, English, German, Italian and Spanish, depending on the exhibition
Audioguide in French, English, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish, depending on the exhibition
Auditorium
Les Galeries restaurant and the Moka counter:
Two restaurant areas for a delicious break any time of day. Last admission one hour before the exhibitions close (closed from 1st July to 24th September inclusive)
Information by ‘phone: + 33 (0)1 44 24 27 96 and for group reservations by email
Find out more about the Grand Palais
