On Sunday the weather was just glorious in Paris, so I took the metro up to see the Richard Serra installation at the Grand Palais. For those that don’t know the Grand Palais - a little bit of history, because it’s a fascinating building:
It was built in 1900 for the World’s Fair, and is currently the largest existing ironwork and glass structure in the world.
Caught up in the torment of two World Wars, the building provided accommodation for the wounded troops of the Great War as a makeshift military hospital, but was also used for Nazi propaganda during World War II.
In September of 1914, the Grand Palais was transformed into a military hospital. Gradually, the whole building was given over to this task, with a thousand beds, and two operating theatres.
However, the darkest hours of the Grand Palais were still to come in the shape of World War II. In the hands of the German occupants, the Grand Palais was requisitioned to act as a truck depot and then housed two exhibitions devoted to Nazi propaganda.
Today, it is used for exhibitions.
The Serra artwork was perfectly cited in the space, and as you can see from the photos, the space is so magnificent, that I could have sat there all day, if I didn’t have more on my agenda for the day.
Sundays definitely call for a stroll through the Tuilleries, and ended up at the Bibliotheque Nationale off of Rue de Richelieu to see the Sophie Calle exhibit.
Threw in a few errands on my way home, including buying a really cute pair of espadrilles, and then saw the film, "The Children of Huang Shi."
My day ended with dinner with a friend at a Korean barbecue restaurant and a game of Quiddler...
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