Inaugurated on December 11, 1902 as a museum under the name Palais des Beaux-Arts de la ville de Paris, the Petit Palais was originally built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition. Set in the prestigious surroundings of the Champs-Élysées gardens, the Petit Palais is part of a monumental ensemble that includes the Grand Palais and the Pont Alexandre III. Charles Girault designed it according to a trapezoidal plan, with four buildings arranged around a semi-circular interior garden bordered by a peristyle.
