View source for Jeu de Paume (museum)

{{Short description|Photography gallery in Paris}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox museum
|name = Jeu de Paume
|image = Façade JDP.extention.jpg
|caption = Jeu de Paume in 2021
|map_type = Paris
|coordinates = {{coord|48|51|57|N|2|19|26|E|display=inline}}
|established = 2004
|dissolved =
|location = 1 [[Place de la Concorde]], [[1st arrondissement of Paris|1st arrondissement]], Paris, France
|type = [[Arts Centre]]
|visitors =
|director =Quentin Bajac
|curator =
|publictransit =
|website = {{url|www.jeudepaume.org}}
|logo=|former_name=}}
'''Jeu de Paume''' ({{IPA|fr|ʒø də pom}}, ''Real Tennis Court'') is an arts centre for modern and postmodern photography and media. It is located in the north corner (west side) of the [[Tuileries Palace|Tuileries Gardens]] next to the [[Place de la Concorde]] in Paris. In 2004, Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, [[Centre national de la photographie]] and Patrimoine Photographique merged to form the Association Jeu de Paume.<ref name="saatchi-gallery">"[http://www.saatchigallery.com/museums/museum-profile/Jeu+De+Paume/357.html Jeu De Paume] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225548/http://www.saatchigallery.com/museums/museum-profile/Jeu+De+Paume/357.html |date=3 March 2016 }}", [[Saatchi Gallery]]. Accessed 24 November 2014.</ref>
==History==
The rectangular building was constructed in 1861 at the request of [[Napoleon III of France|Napoleon III]]. Napoleon III tasked [[Charles Delahaye (tennis)|Charles Delahaye]] to oversee the construction of the building and he commissioned [[Hector-Martin Lefuel]] as the architect. It was designed for ''[[jeu de paume]]'', which nowadays is known as [[real tennis]], court tennis or royal tennis, but its exterior complemented the already-existing ''[[Musée de l'Orangerie|Orangerie]]'' building. In 1877, Delahaye commissioned Virant to design a second court on the East side of the building. However, as tennis supplanted ''jeu de paume'' as a sport, the Jeu de Paume proved an inadequate space and was transformed into a gallery in 1909.
When the [[Musée du Luxembourg]] opened its doors to foreign schools of painting at the end of the 19th century, the works it sponsored became important enough to require a separate exhibition space, and in 1909 the Jeu de Paume re-opened as a gallery with the "One hundred portraits of women from the 18th-century English and French Schools" exhibition.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=80x9GQAACAAJ|title=Exposition de cent portraits de femmes des écoles anglaise et française du XVIIIe siècle: ouverte du 23 avril au 1er juillet 1909|last=paume (France)|first=Musée du jeu de|date=1909|publisher=L'art et les artists|language=fr}}</ref> Operating first as an extension of the [[Louvre]] and [[Musée de l'Orangerie]], it became an independent gallery from 1922, showing country and/or artist-themed expositions mostly modern foreign works. The gallery shifted towards an [[avant-garde]] style with the [[Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne|1937 Exposition Internationale]] and an "Origins and development of Independent International Art" show organised by [[Jean Cassou]], [[Matisse]], [[Braque]], [[Picasso]] and [[Fernand Léger|Léger]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Oy1WvwEACAAJ&q=Origines+et+d%C3%A9veloppement+de+l'art+international+ind%C3%A9pendant|title=Origines et développement de l'art international indépendant: Exposition organisée par le Musée du Jeu de Paume du 30 juillet au 31 octobre 1937|date=1937|publisher=Le Musée|language=fr}}</ref>
===Nazi sorting house===
Jeu de Paume was used from 1940 to 1944 to store [[Nazi plunder]] looted by the [[Nazi Germany|regime]]'s [[Reichsleiter Rosenberg Taskforce]] (ERR) in France. These works included masterpieces from the collections of French Jewish families like the [[Rothschild family|Rothschild]]s, the [[David-Weill]]s, the Bernheims,<ref name="latimes1991">Hector Feliciano (10 July 1991), [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-10-ca-2017-story.html New Flair for Two Old Museums] ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''.</ref><ref>Alan Riding (3 September 1997), [https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/03/arts/collector-s-family-tries-to-illuminate-the-past-of-manuscripts-in-france.html Collector's Family Tries to Illuminate the Past of Manuscripts in France] ''[[New York Times]]''.</ref> and noted dealers including [[Paul Rosenberg (art dealer)|Paul Rosenberg]] who specialised in impressionist and post-impressionist works.<ref name=BJParis/>
[[Hermann Göring]] commanded that the loot would first be divided between [[Adolf Hitler]] and himself. For this reason, from the end of 1940 to the end of 1942 he traveled twenty times to Paris. At Jeu de Paume, art dealer [[Bruno Lohse]] staged 20 expositions of the newly looted art objects, especially for Göring, from which Göring selected at least 594 pieces for his own collection; the rest was destined for the [[Führermuseum]] in [[Linz]].
So called ''[[degenerate art]]'' (modern art "unworthy" in the eyes of the Nazis) was legally banned from entering Germany, and so once designated was held in what was called the Martyr's Room at the Jeu de Paume. Much of Paul Rosenberg's professional dealership and personal collection were subsequently so designated by the Nazis. Following [[Joseph Goebbels]]'s earlier private decree to sell these degenerate works for foreign currency to fund the building of the Führermuseum and the wider war effort, Goering personally appointed a series of ERR-approved dealers including [[Hildebrand Gurlitt]] to liquidate these assets and then pass the funds to swell his personal art collection. With much of the looted degenerate art sold onwards via [[Switzerland]], Rosenberg's collection was scattered across Europe. Unsold art (including works by Picasso and Dalí) was destroyed in a bonfire on the grounds of the Jeu de Paume on the night of 27 July 1942, an act of almost unparalleled vandalism. However, the Nazis had burned nearly 4000 works of German "degenerate" art in Berlin in 1939.
[[French resistance]] curator [[Rose Valland]], who was working at the museum, kept a secret list of all the works passing through, and after the Nazi defeat in 1945 most of these works were thereby returned to their rightful owners.<ref name="latimes1991"/> Today, some 70 of Rosenberg's paintings are missing, including: the large Picasso watercolor ''Naked Woman on the Beach'', painted in Provence in 1923; seven works by Matisse; and the ''Portrait of Gabrielle Diot'' by [[Degas]].<ref name=BJParis>{{cite web|url=https://bonjourparis.com/archives/the-lost-museum/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125032436/http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?&q=cache:https%3A%2F%2Fbonjourparis.com%2Farchives%2Fthe-lost-museum%2F|url-status=live|archive-date=25 January 2018|title=The Lost Museum|date=25 January 2018|publisher=bonjourparis.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://docproj.loyola.edu/jdp/index.html
|title=The Jeu de Paume and the Looting of France
|last=
|first=
|author-link=
|date=1998
|website=The Project for the Documentation of Wartime Losses
|series=
|publisher=Cultural Property Research Foundation, Inc.
|location=
|script-title=
|trans-title=
|type=
|access-date=25 January 2018
|quote=
}}</ref>
===Post-war museum===
Between 1947 and 1986, it contained the Musée du Jeu de Paume, an offshoot of the [[Louvre]]<ref>{{cite web |website=Jeu de Paume |url=https://jeudepaume.org/le-jeu-de-paume/le-jeu-de-paume-en-10-dates/ |title=Le Jeu de Paume en 10 dates |access-date=19 August 2021 |archive-date=19 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819165553/https://jeudepaume.org/le-jeu-de-paume/le-jeu-de-paume-en-10-dates/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> that held many important [[impressionism|impressionist]] works now housed in the [[Musée d'Orsay]]. Widely considered as the "most famous museum of impressionist painting in the world",<ref name="guardian2005">Eunice Lipton (4 January 2005), [https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2005/jan/04/photography The youth of today] ''[[The Guardian]]''.</ref> the rooms bore names such as Salle Degas, Salle Cézanne or Salle Monet.<ref name="nytimes1991">Ginger Danto (3 February 1991), [https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/03/arts/art-for-new-art-a-building-drenched-in-art-history.html For New Art, a Building Drenched in Art History] ''[[New York Times]]''.</ref>
From 1989, as part of the [[Grands Projets of François Mitterrand]], the building underwent a $10&nbsp;million renovation by architect [[Antoine Stinco]], resulting in about 1180 square metres (12,700 square feet) of exhibition space spread across three floors. The formerly walled-in reception hall was transformed into an atrium-like open area flooded with natural light from large bay windows, allowing views of the neighboring [[Tuileries Gardens]], [[Place de la Concorde]], and [[Eiffel Tower]].<ref name="latimes1991"/> The top floor features a series of galleries lit by skylights.<ref>[[Michael Kimmelman]] (2 July 1991), [https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/02/arts/a-paris-museum-reopens-in-a-new-guise.html A Paris Museum Reopens in a New Guise] ''[[New York Times]]''.</ref>
==Present==
In 1991, the Jeu de Paume reopened as "France's first national gallery of contemporary art",<ref name="nytimes1991"/> with an exhibition devoted to [[Jean Dubuffet]]. Subsequent retrospectives were dedicated to international artists such as [[Marcel Broodthaers]] (1991), [[Robert Gober]] (1991),<ref>Suzanne Muchnich (17 November 1991), [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-11-17-ca-497-story.html An American Foot in the Door] ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''.</ref> [[Ellsworth Kelly]] (1992),<ref>[[John Russell (art critic)|John Russell]] (5 April 1992), [https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/05/arts/art-view-ellsworth-kelly-an-american-in-paris.html Ellsworth Kelly, an American in Paris] ''[[New York Times]]''.</ref> [[Helio Oiticica]] (1992), and [[Eva Hesse]] (1993). In 1999, the museum chose American architect [[Richard Meier]] as the subject of its first-ever architectural exhibition.<ref>Alan Riding (8 August 1999), [https://nytimes.com/1999/08/08/arts/art-architecture-celebrating-an-architect-hailing-an-artist.html Celebrating an Architect, Hailing an Artist] ''[[New York Times]]''.</ref>
In 2004, Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, Centre National de la Photographie and Patrimoine Photographique merged to form the Association de Préfiguration for the Etablissement Public (EPIC) Jeu de Paume.<ref name="saatchi-gallery" /> It has since developed into a centre for modern and postmodern photography and media,<ref name="guardian2005"/> mounting survey exhibitions on [[Ed Ruscha]] (2006), [[Cindy Sherman]] (2006), [[Martin Parr]] (2009), [[William Kentridge]] (2010), [[Claude Cahun]] (2011), [[Lorna Simpson]] (2013), [[Valérie Jouve]] (2015) among others. In 2016, it received the anthological solo exhibition of contemporary photograph [[Helena Almeida]].
On 27 April 2005, a plaque honoring the work of Rose Valland to catalogue looted art during the Nazi occupation was placed on the south wall of the Jeu de Paume.
On 1 December 2018 the museum was torched in politically related mob violence as the Tuileries Gardens were stormed by protestors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/paris-violence-jeu-de-paume-13672795|title=Historic art gallery on fire in Paris as 'mob storm Tuileries Garden'|first=Elaine|last=McCahill|date=1 December 2018|website=mirror}}</ref>
Today, the Jeu de Paume is subsidised by the [[Minister of Culture (France)|French Ministry of Culture and Communication]]. Attendance increased from 200,000 visitors in 2006 to over 320,000 visitors in 2008.<ref>[http://www.jeudepaume.org/index.php?page=article&sousmenu=54&idArt=207&lieu=0 About the Jeu de Paume] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120730195711/http://www.jeudepaume.org/index.php?page=article&sousmenu=54&idArt=207&lieu=0 |date=30 July 2012 }} Official Website.</ref>
==In popular culture==
The museum's wartime history has been depicted, heavily fictionalized, several times on film. In [[John Frankenheimer]]'s 1964 film ''[[The Train (1964 film)|The Train]]'', starring [[Burt Lancaster]] and [[Jeanne Moreau]], [[Rose Valland]] is represented as Mademoiselle Villard, played by [[Suzanne Flon]].<ref name="latimes1991"/> In [[George Clooney]]'s 2014 film ''[[The Monuments Men (film)|The Monuments Men]]'', Valland is represented as Claire Simone, played by [[Cate Blanchett]]. In [[Anatole Litvak]]'s 1967 film ''[[The Night of the Generals (film)|The Night of the Generals]]'', Peter O'Toole's character General Tanz visits the museum and is transfixed by a self-portrait of Vincent van Gogh, referenced as "Vincent In Flames".
In [[Sara Houghteling]]'s novel ''Pictures at an Exhibition'' (2009), the character of Rose Clément is based on [[Rose Valland]]. In [[Ruth Reichl]]'s novel ''The Paris Novel'' (2024), [[Rose Valland]]'s war efforts are mentioned several times.
== Architecture ==
The Jeu de Paume was designed by architect Melchior Viraut in the [[Second Empire style]] and has many classical architectural features, such as semi-fluted [[ionic column]]s and a decorative [[Tympanum (architecture)|tympanum]] with Napoleon's coat of arms. Unique to the Jeu De Paume is the letter "N" above the entrance of the building. Along the sides of the building are large arched windows to allow for light to enter the court areas.
The interior was completely renovated in 1989 by [[Antoine Stinco]] to make the space more suited to exhibiting art. Stinco said his goal was to create a space that would not compete with the artwork, but that would allow at least a glimpse of the views of the gardens and beyond.{{cn|date=May 2024}}
==See also==
*[[List of museums in Paris]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{Official website|url=www.jeudepaume.org/index.php?lang=en}}
*[http://docproj.loyola.edu/jdp "The Jeu de Paume and the Looting of France"] – The Project for the Documentation of Wartime Losses. Cultural Property Research Foundation, Inc.
{{1st arrondissement of Paris}}
{{Visitor attractions in Paris}}
{{Louvre}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Art museums and galleries in Paris]]
[[Category:Defunct real tennis venues]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in the 1st arrondissement of Paris]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1861]]
[[Category:Museums established in 1947]]
[[Category:1947 establishments in France]]
[[Category:1861 establishments in France]]
[[Category:Photography museums and galleries in France]]