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Ever since the
disappearance of the Crystal Palace in London, constructed for Universal
Exposition of 1851, and destroyed by a fire during the 1930s, the Grand
Palais is considered one of the largest glass paneled building in
Europe: 15,000 square meters under one nave.
The actual
restoration campaign has permitted the Grand Palais to once again find
its original splendor and spaciousness under glass and steel, paying
homage to light.
Hopefully one
day, the national galleries of the Grand Palais, condemned to be “all
electric” since the 1960s, will once again use natural lighting.
Criticized for
a long time, the classical styling of the stone façades bears witness to
the decency of the Third Republic, which worried that this vulgar
umbrella of iron and glass would offend the Hôtel des Invalides.
The two
baroque-inspired quadrigas were technically children of the century.
Without their
armature of iron, without with its metallic, framed profile that anchors
them to their pedestal of stone, the furious, galloping horse would defy
the laws of gravity. Considerably lighter than bronze, these two groups
still weigh 12 tonnes (13 short tons or 26, 455 pounds), not counting
the pedestal….
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November 2008