The Petit Palais was created for the Universal Exposition of 1900 as a city museum in which to showcase the works bought from the yearly Salons. Most of the collection is the legacy of Auguste Dutuit. Among this collection visitors can find ancient artifacts, medieval objects, rare manuscripts and books, as well as Dutch paintings from the seventeenth century. The collection includes western art from the Egyptian era to the present. Dutuit also left a fund for the further purchase of works.

Le Petit Palais was opened officially December 11, 1902, between the Champs-Elysees and the Avenue Alexandre III. The collection includes Poussin's The Massacre of the Innocents, Ruben's Prosperpina, and Rembrandt's Self-Portrait with Poodle. There are also Impressionist selections from the nineteenth century by Pisarro, Morisot, Cassatt, Manet, Renoir, and Gauguin.

The museum has also more than 12,000 prints. The Grand Palais was originally built for the World Expo in 1900 and displays modern art. Work on it began in 1897, following the plans of architects Deglane, Louvet, and Thomas. The building measures 240 meters wide and 40 meters tall, and the façade, with its enormous porch and ionic columns, shows off Recipon's quadrigae. Ultimately, the Grand Palais is a harmonious blend of iron, stone, and glass.

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