
MM Editor•Apr 19, 2026
Jeu de Paume — Paris's Royal Tennis Court Turned Photography Museum
At a Glance
Jeu de Paume at the north end of the Tuileries opened as a royal tennis court in 1861 under Napoleon III. It served as the Impressionist Museum (1947–1986) and, since 2004, has been France's flagship photography and moving-image museum.
From Tennis to Photography
Anatole Ray's iron-and-glass building later housed looted art under the Nazis. After the Impressionists moved to Orsay in 1986, the site eventually re-specialised in photography.
Highlights
- Major retrospectives — Cartier-Bresson, Arbus, Shore, Mapplethorpe.
- Prix Elysée emerging-artist shows.
- Upstairs black-box video galleries.
- PhotoParis fair each November.
- First-floor café view of the Tuileries and Concorde.
Visiting Tips
Concorde metro. €12. 1.5 hours. Closed Mondays; Tuesday nights until 21:00. Pair with Musée de l'Orangerie across the park.