Jeu de Paume History

As home of the various avant-garde move­ments of the 19th and 20th centuries, and in particular of the Impressionist collections until the creation of the Musee d'Orsay, the Jeu de Paume is a prestigious building permeated with a rich history. Its renaissance as a national gallery devoted to the art of our day constitutes a major event in the cultural world. The new interior design of the edifice, conceived by Antoine Stinco, is perfectly suited to its new purpose as a showcase for temporary exhibitions attesting the diversity of present-day creativity. Like the Kunsthallen in Germany and certain institutions in Anglo-Saxon countries, the Jeu de Paume will not have a permanent collection. Its temporary shows, by placing the accent on what is different, singular and audacious, will serve to complement the scope of 20th-century art centers and museums. I would particularly like to acknowledge the invaluable contribution of the UAP and its president Jean Peyrelevade in making possible this new structure which will enrich our capacity to diffuse contemporary art on the European scene, where Paris has a major role to play. This book, conceived by the staff of the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, traces the history of the building, and its architectural and museographical mutations. I deeply hope it will contribute to familiarizing art lovers with the Jeu de Paume, and that, by allowing us to take hold of our memory of the past, it will sharpen our curiosity for the present.