As the year of Art Deco in Brussels draws to a close, it’s well worth considering exploring some Art Deco highlights in Paris. Two gems are the Grand Rex cinema to the north of Paris, close to the Opéra Garnier, and “Paris 1925: l’Art déco et ses architectes,” a look back at an exhibition that was a major launchpad for five major Art Deco architects. Whilst the exhibition closes at the end of March 2026, the Grand Rex hosts events of all kinds all year round.
The Grand Rex
The Grand Rex is somewhat of a cultural institution in Paris and was registered as a historical monument in France in 1981. Housed in a beautiful Art Deco building, it dates back to 1932 and screens premieres of major films, including Babylon [a wonderful film very loosely based on the history of Hollywood cinema] and movies about Bridget Jones. Whilst it began as a cinema, it now also hosts concerts and all sorts of shows, and has a studio tour and an escape game.
The show that I saw on Friday evening was a tribute to the Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis, who made photography equipment and are well known for their Cinématographe motion picture system and for saying that “the cinema is an invention without any future”. On show were their short movies, made between 1895 and 1905, a fascinating insight into life at the time, including footage of the World Fair in Paris, children performing acrobatics, and lots more. As you can see on Grand Rex’s website, there are plenty of other events that you can go to, including concerts and comedy shows.
The next day, I went on the Rex studios tour, a behind-the-scenes glimpse at what studios used to look like. I’d describe it as a fun family-type tour, an easy-paced and immersive introduction to cinema. The atmospheric audio with lots of actors’ voice-overs is well done, with the most interesting room being the projection room. You also get to record a short soundbite from a famous film, which is merged with other visuals to create a very short “film,” somewhat clichéd for my taste but fun for the family. During the tour, you do hear key facts such as the birth year of the Grand Rex and the fact that it was requisitioned by the Germans during the Second World War (and called the “Soldatenkino,” soldiers’ cinema), but it’s much more about the glitz, glamour, and atmosphere than detailed history. For some history, this text (with images), written by the owner and designer, Jacques Haïk, is well worth a read.
My recommendation is to read the history, consider the studio tour if you’re with the family, take a look at the building from the outside, and also immerse yourself in the beautiful décor inside if you have the time and money to watch a film or see another performance there.
“Paris 1925: l’Art déco et ses architectes“
A visit that combines well with seeing the Grand Rex is the extremely good “Paris 1925: l’Art déco et ses architectes” exhibition at the Cité de l’architecture et de patrimoine on Place du Trocadéro. Back on 28 April 1925, the then-French President, Gaston Doumergue, inaugurated the “Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes,” which attracted nearly 16 million visitors by the time it closed in November that year.
“The International Exhibition reflects the creative ferment of a post-war society undergoing profound transformation. A true springboard for the Art Deco style, it showcased visionary figures such as Le Corbusier, Auguste Perret, Henri Sauvage, and Robert Mallet-Stevens,” writes the Cité de l’architecture et de patrimoine.
If you’re even slightly interested in art deco, this is a must-see for an introduction to these five major architects and a short but in-depth immersion into the 1925 Paris exhibition. A major feature is a revolving 3D visual, which brings out the splendour of the eight major pavilions from the Paris exhibition.
Reminiscent of an Art Deco clock tower near Tomberg metro in Brussels, one of my favourites is the tourism pavilion, the “Pavillon des renseignements et du tourisme” by Robert Mallet-Stevens. Other favourites for me and of interest for journalists and media history aficionados are the “porte d’Honneur,” the gateway to the Paris 1925 exhibition, and the pavilion of the newspaper L’Intransigeant, both designed by Henry Favier. The Paris exhibition pushed both of these relatively unknown architects into the limelight. A final favourite for me is a cartoon of the exhibition from a weekly magazine called Le Rire [Laughter].
There’s plenty more to see, including Art Deco garden designs, an Art Deco theatre design, and the glasswork (le vitrail). All the texts are in French, very concise and well-written.
