THE WORLD'S BIGGEST MUSEUM
When visitors swarm to the capital,
they may prefer to visit the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Palais
or the Arc de Triomphe than the Petit Palais.
It's a shame and even an injustice. Why?
Because this place is, how should I put it, revolutionary!
Why is it revolutionary?
Because back then, it pushed boundaries.
It was a place with huge exhibit halls,
zenithal lighting and huge plate glass windows.
Back in the day, this place was viewed as the Georges Pompidou Center
of Paris in the 80s. It's as revolutionary as that.
Here is the Beaubourg of 1900,
which I would recommend that you visit right away. Let's go.
Hello. Nothing in my hands or pockets.
Oh, there was something in my pocket.
Hello, director. - Welcome.
Is it shocking to call the Petit Palais the 20th century's Beaubourg?
Not at all. Beaubourg consists of floor plates and glass walls around it.
Here, we also have two floor plates and large windows,
whether they're behind you, behind me, or to our left.
I suppose more time was spent building the Petit Palais
than building Beaubourg in the 1970s.
No, it took less time.
It took two and a half years to build it
with concrete, iron and glass
and all the mosaic under our feet.
We're in quite an opulent, bourgeois building with many references,
but it's also modern with metal structures and colossal windows.
This building wouldn't exist without concrete.
The Metro was also created for the 1900 Paris Exposition
using concrete and iron.
And when you look down at the stairs you climbed,
they have a red aisle on the stones, so it's kind of like a red carpet,
which is constantly open for the public to walk on.
Who is Charles Girault, the Father of the Petit Palais?
He was a man whose talent drew great appeal at the time.
This building was a great success for him and led to many projects
in Belgium and Latin America.
What would become of this museum
this new, Parisian museum in the 20th century?
Its contemporary art collections continued to grow around 1900
and the City of Paris continued to acquire works,
including Fauve and Cubist works through donations or purchases.
We have a beautiful icon collection
which was given to the Petit Palais in 1998.
The museum was home to Ancient Greek collections
until the turn of the 21st century.
Anything is possible here.
We can display art through digital screens,
we can use the theater auditorium for music.
So, anything of caliber can be displayed here.
Hi, Patrick Lemasson. - Hello.
You're a curator at the Petit Palais. Let's discuss patronage
because there are some rich, generous people
who have donated a lot, notably the Tucks who are Americans
and who donated objects from the 1600s and 1700s in the 20th century.
Let's take a look at them as we talk. Who were the Tucks?
They were an American couple.
Edward Tuck was a banker for the first half of his life,
HEAD CURATOR IN CHARGE OF 17TH AND 18TH CENTURY ART OBJECTS
before later dedicating himself to collecting important works of art.
What exactly is this?
That is probably a comedy scene
illustrating what one could refer to as old, absurd art.
There are various versions, this one is German Saxe porcelain.
We can see this old fogey
who's in a tight embrace with a young woman.
It used colored backgrounds
which was a Sèvres specialty at the time.
That was made by Sèvres porcelain? Wow.
Absolutely.
This one is earthenware.
You can see the difference between this translucent porcelain material,
whereas earthenware is classically used in pottery
and finished with a shiny glaze.
This hanging was drawn by the painter François Boucher in 1741.
You can see Boucher's name there without the 'r'.
They must have done it quickly or the weaver missed out the 'r'.
This is about the story of Psyche, so it draws from Greek mythology.
This room contains two historical tapestries.
For those of you who are eagle-eyed,
you can see, as this was done very subtly,
along the length of the column,
you can see from the cushion on the stool,
that it is slightly lopsided there.
I told Beauvais's tapestry weavers to be careful.
But it's still visible. - You've aged well.
It's fabulous that an American in the 1900s just made a donation.
He donated his collection, subject to usufruct in 1921,
meaning he kept it during his lifetime.
In reality, when his wife, Julia Stell, died in 1928,
he revoked the usufruct clause
and, in 1930, the collections came here.
The curator at the time, made this space available
in the North Gallery on the first floor of the Petit Palais
so that it would be opposite the Champs-Élysées.
The Tucks had their own hotel on Avenue des Champs-Élysées
so, it was kind of a nod to them.
Thank you, Patrick. - My pleasure.
Since I'm a thorough visitor,
I made a note of five or six objects in particular
which I wanted you to discover.
One of them is this sedan chair from the Tuck collection.
Why is it interesting? It belonged to Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans
who is none other than Louis XIV's niece.
So, that's her sedan chair.
The second piece is a painting.
It's a portrait of Sarah Bernhardt.
It was painted by Clairin, who was a painter and her lover for many years.
He featured her several times and this is one of the most interesting
because you can see her in this voluptuous, white, satin dress
and it really is a very sensual Sarah Bernhardt there.
Equally, Woman with Monkey is a captivating work of art.
This mysterious and aloof woman
made from stonework and bronze in 1908 by Camille Alaphilippe.
In my opinion, it's one of the most moving works of art here.
Then there's Organ Pipe Clock with a Monkey Orchestra.
It was around 1760 and you can see all these monkeys playing music.
In the 18th century, this was a truly high-end, well-made piece
which was probably commissioned by a large aristocratic family.
And finally, a painting by Gustave Courbet:
Firemen Running to a Fire.
It's from 1851 and it really evokes the nocturnal atmosphere of these fires
which must have been commonplace in the capital's back alleys.
We're now going to see a grand unveiling.
Dominique, hello. - Hello.
You're a curator.
I'm commissioner for the Giuseppe De Nittis exhibition.
Who is that?
He's an Italian painter who we're lucky to show off in Paris
for the first time since 1886.
A 19th century painter. - Exactly.
So, what's happening here?
We're going to discover one of De Nittis's pastels
featuring Edmond de Goncourt.
This is a piece that was lent to us by the Goncourt Academy
and there's a surprise inside.
You don't know what it is?
I've never seen it. I've seen the copy, but I'm discovering it with you now.
They put tape on it?
We put tape on it
because the work is protected by glass so we want to avoid breaking it.
When unpacking or transporting it, we crisscross tape over it.
Is this moving for you? - Yes, completely.
This is Edmond de Goncourt,
the great literary critic of the 19th century.
There were two brothers. - Yes, they wrote a journal together.
They also set up the Prix Goncourt.
We haven't seen this Italian painter in France...
Since 1886.
There was a small exhibition in a gallery two years after his death
and this is De Nittis's grand return to Paris.
De Nittis exhibited his work in 1874 with the impressionists.
It was his finest hour.
He died aged 38 after barely making a name for himself.
Fans of Tintin will probably remember the first page
of The Broken Ear.
There's a museum attendant who's dusting the artwork here
and he finds out that the Broken Ear statue has been stolen.
Would you believe that dusting artwork is a real job.
You'll find out now, take a look.
There are loads of little folds where the dust gathers
and it doesn't look clean.
I look at the artwork layer by layer
MUSEUM WORKER
and see how it ended up being such an impressive piece.
We soak up a bit of history.
PATINATED PLASTER SCULPTURE
Since I've been at the museum, I've learned a lot.
They're working on Ugolino by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux,
which is one of his masterpieces that we're lucky to have.
They're cleaning it as it gathers dust quickly.
HERITAGE CUSTODIAN IN CHARGE OF SCULPTURES
You don't notice it on white plaster, but you see it on dark.
If it's dusty, visitors run their finger along it like at home: "Dirty!"
That puts the work in danger.
Shoes gather the most dust.
Can you imagine?
It gathers a bit on the windows and a lot on shoes.
We never use our hands,
we use tools that have been recommended by restorers.
ARTWORK STEWARD
We use soft brushes
because as soon as you touch it with your hands,
you leave a thin layer of grease
which will alter the whole material.
This is what we were talking about before.
Can you see the difference between the original color of the marble
and the color of the worn marble which is yellowish?
We restored it in 2005, but the restorer couldn't get rid of the yellow tone
which has been touched quite a bit by our greasy, little fingers.
It's been in the museum since 1922, so imagine how many fingers.
We had to brainstorm with the design architect
so that it would never be touched again and we decided to create distance.
It has to be awkward for the visitors to touch it,
so that it remains untouched as of 2005.
Can you see it OK? Because sometimes there are reflections on the paintings.
Can I sit with you? - Yes, if you want.
Hi, Damien. - Hi.
Hi, kids. - Hi.
There's something special going on here:
it seems that you're one of few museums in Paris, and maybe even France,
which specializes in educating little children.
It's normally for teenagers, but you're bold enough to include little ones.
PLASTIC ARTIST
We're open to the whole public,
but we do have a lot of success with preschoolers.
I like to get the kids to look at the paintings like cats.
Does anyone have a cat at home?
No. - No?
Have you ever noticed... - I have a cat.
Really? You may have noticed that sometimes cats do this with their eyes.
They squint but that doesn't necessarily mean they're winking.
It means you're closing your eyes slightly, as if they were curtains
and leaving a little gap.
That's it. Great job, you look like a little cat.
And now look at the painting
and tell me what you can see.
By really squinting your eyes, loads of things disappear.
So, what's left, then? - Sheep.
Yes, we can see sheep.
Cloud sheep or real sheep? - Sheep.
Oh, yes, you can see sheep.
Why did you choose this painting? What's interesting about it?
It has a pretty simple composition
with dividing lines between the sky and the land.
The presence of sheep is quite appealing to kids.
What I really wanted was to have a contrasting sky.
There are coloring pencils.
It's going to get dirty.
These are pieces of chalk or they can also be called soft pastels.
Is this paper smooth?
Yes. - No.
It's not completely smooth, there are little strips.
See, Vincent? There are loads of little strips on the paper.
This is a special paper which absorbs the chalk more easily.
What are you doing? - A huge carrot melting into the ground.
A huge carrot melting into the ground.
He doesn't say much,
but he has understood the binary element of landscapes in the 19th century:
the land, the stormy sky.
And what are you doing here? - Trees.
Picasso and Braque didn't draw better than these guys when they were six.
They were no better. - No. Up to here. OK?
Then clean it up like modeling clay.
Brace yourselves to see something truly incredible.
First, I'm going to introduce you to Amélie Simier, hello.
You're a curator here, you deal with sculptures in particular.
We're going to talk about an incredible person who did all this.
Take a look at these frogs.
They're captivating frogs because they look like sketches
for a modern-day Sci-Fi film,
but they're a century old.
They are around a century old. They're full of pus, monstrous...
HERITAGE CUSTODIAN IN CHARGE OF SCULPTURES
… they have bird beaks, clawed feet, rabbit ears,
a surprising surface which looks like a brain.
These are amazing creatures from his imagination in the 1880s.
What are these? Scary masks?
Three from the same mold
and depending on the enameling, it gets scarier.
Look at this one. With its tiny pustules and bulging eyes, it's terrifying.
You talk about pustules with such enthusiasm.
It's nice to share a passion for the artist.
So, there's the artist, his name is Jean Carriès.
He was quite a poor, bohemian artist.
Where did he work? Lyon? Paris?
He was born in Lyon, poor,
and was the son of a shoemaker who died at 39 from tuberculosis.
He was raised by nuns and learned to create church sculptures.
He was one of the inventors of color in sculpture.
Come on over with your camera and look at these extraordinary figures.
You wonder how he came up with them and then sculpted them.
Look, it's a small, terrifying girl.
What is she crushing? A puppet?
I think she's crushing a puppet. It's called L'Infant.
Carriès's biography says that she hears death coming.
This one has sold an absurd amount of copies.
There are other figures like this one
which takes you back into Carriès's imagination.
For example, this tongue is perhaps being devoured by a snake.
This is one of Carriès's most terrifying pieces.
It's hidden on the other side of a door
which he made for a rich American backer.
This woman was Winnaretta Singer,
one of the heirs of Isaac Singer, who invented the sewing machine.
At 24, she commissioned a project for her workshop to be decorated.
It was supposed to evoke a Wagnerian world. She was a musician.
What she pictured was elves, dwarves, mythological creatures.
And when she saw that? - Instead she got a fright.
This was the fruit of Carriès's nightmares
and she found herself taking center stage
as a figure holding a cat and crushing a snake,
a terrifying image of her.
Where did he look for that inspiration?
We don't know. It's good when art has an air of mystery.
In his nightmares and hallucinations... - Did he take any substances?
He probably took opium to relieve his pain at the end of his life.
That explains it!
You can see Le Sommeil by Gustave Courbet.
There are lots of paintings by Gustave Courbet here.
Look how funny this is. There are photos around the Petit Palais
which are a throwback to more classical 19th century works.
Why? Because to commemorate 25 years of Reporters Without Borders,
there are photos taken by photojournalists on display.
This is Pierre and Alexandra Boulat's work,
famous photojournalists who have given us captivating images.
This is scattered all around the Petit Palais.
We're in the large format gallery,
where you can see the great painters of the 19th century and great sculptors.
But it's up to you to discover the little gems
of this temporary exhibition on Pierre and Alexandra Boulat,
which are spread all over the place.
I'm back with Gilles Chazal, the manager of the Petit Palais.
We're on the first floor and we're going to talk about
great stories, and this is a good one.
The Petit Palais came into existence in 1900 and became a museum in 1902.
In this specific year, two rich brothers, the Dutuit brothers,
the second of whom passed away in 1902,
offered their collection to this brand new house.
GENERAL CUSTODIAN AND MANAGER OF THE PETIT PALAIS
This ensured that this modern art museum became an ancient art one, too.
There were some fabulous collections
including, as you see here, Greek and Roman artwork.
If you go into the rooms,
there are Italian Majolica, Renaissance enamels,
Dutch and Flemish paintings.
So, they really wanted to take great delight in their collection,
but to one day donate it so that all young creators
could admire all these objects and make their own creations.
So, there's Eugène and Auguste Dutuit, it's the end of the 19th century
and they've amassed some 15,000 pieces.
The Dutuits are true partners
because they donated art and their fortune.
So, we've also enjoyed their resources which have enriched the collection.
There's always a hint of jealousy when we talk about
great American patrons such as Rockefeller
who gave money away to museums.
French capitalism also existed in the 20th century
and there was a generosity and thirst for knowledge
which resulted in interesting donations.
Rockefeller and the others were just following the example of the Dutuits.
We don't talk enough about the Dutuit brothers, Eugène and Auguste.
Thanks, Eugène and Auguste.
All that's left to say is that the Petit Palais is free to visit.
It's a museum in Paris which is free for the most part,
notably, for the permanent exhibitions.
The Petit Palais is also open six out of seven days a week.
Every day except Mondays, and on Thursdays, it's open until 8 PM.
That's all the info.
See you next week, goodbye.
Subtitles: Babel Subtitling - babelSUB.be