Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Palais de Tokyo, originally named Palais des Musées d'art moderne, was built for the 1937 International Exhibition in Paris, on the site of the former Savonnerie factory (closed in 1826). Designed by architects Jean-Claude Dondel, André Aubert, Paul Viard and Marcel Dastugue, it was designed to replace the Luxembourg Museum and house two institutions: a national museum of Modern Art (State) and a municipal museum (City of Paris). Its sober and monumental style, marked by bas-reliefs by Alfred Janniot and a statue by Antoine Bourdelle, reflects the Art Deco aesthetic of the time. The building, inaugurated in 1937, presents at the Exhibition a retrospective of French art since the Middle Ages.

During World War II, the basements were used to store sequestered Jewish goods. The collections, evacuated, did not return until 1947, the date of the official inauguration of the museums. The west wing, occupied by the National Museum until the 1970s, saw its works transferred to the Pompidou Centre and then to the Orsay Museum. In 1961 the east wing became the museum of modern art in Paris, still in place. The name Tokyo Palace comes from the Tokio wharf (present New York Avenue), bordering its south-east facade.

In 1999, the west wing was transformed into a contemporary art centre, inaugurated in 2002 under the name Palais de Tokyo – Site of contemporary creation. This interdisciplinary venue, renovated by architects Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, is dedicated to emerging arts (painting, design, video, dance). The palace also houses a monument to free France (1948), with a statue of Bourdelle, and its marble esplanade is a legendary Parisian skateboard spot. Ranked a historical monument in 2025, it remains a symbol of the artistic avant-garde.

The initial project provided for a joint conference room under the parvis, never completed, and partially disappeared external arrangements (statutes, art deco metopes). Among the ephemeral occupants are the Femis (1988–1995), the National Centre for Photography (1984–1993), and the Institute of Advanced Studies in Plastic Arts. The palace was also considered a cinema palace in the 1990s before the project was abandoned.

Architecturally, the palace is distinguished by its central peristyle, its monumental staircase adorned with bas-reliefs, and its glazed ceilings illuminating the rooms with zenithal light. The noble materials (marble, golden bronze) and exterior decorations (metopes by Marcel Gaumont, Raymond Subes' doors) make it a masterpiece of Art Deco. Its water mirror, designed by Félix Févola, overlooks the Seine and offers views of the Eiffel Tower. The site, served by Alma-Marceau and Jena metro stations, is one of the largest spaces dedicated to contemporary art in Europe.

Future

The modern art museum of the city of Paris, opened in 1961 in the east wing of the palace, presents the municipal collection of modern and contemporary art since Fauvism, rich with more than 10,000 works,...

In 1999, it was decided to reopen the west wing of the building in part by establishing a contemporary art centre, with an emphasis on the emerging stage, notably French and European.

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