Petit Palais

» Avenue Winston Churchill, Paris, France [map]



The Petit Palais (Small Palace) is a museum in Paris, France. Built for the Universal Exhibition in 1900 to Charles Girault's designs, it now houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts (musée des beaux-arts de la ville de Paris). Arranged around a semi-circular courtyard and garden, the palace is similar to the nearby Grand Palais. Its ionic columns, grand porch and dome echo those of the Invalides across the river. The current exhibits are divided into sections: the Dutuit Collection of medieval and Renaissance paintings, drawings and objets d'art; the Tuck Collection of 18th century furniture and the City of Paris collection of works by French artists, such as Jean Ingres, Eugène Delacroix and Gustave Courbet. It served as a model notably for the Royal Museum for Central Africa near Brussels, and the Museo de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Museum) in Santiago, Chile.

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