HISTORY OF THE GRAND PALAIS NAYEL ZEAITER With texts, illustrations and infographics, Nayel Zeaiter upholds the genre of history painting in his own way. The author of Histoires de France en 100 planches illustrées (History of France in 100 illustrated plates), in 2019 at the Palais de Tokyo he exhibited a series of illustrated posters exploring the history of vandalism in France. For the Grand Palais, the artist has designed a nearly one-kilometre- long fresco that is displayed around the monument. As a cultural showcase for France, for over a century the Grand Palais has witnessed the cultural, political and technological transformations that have shaped our society. In order to represent them, Zeaiter drew on history as well as going to meet the men and women who have known, experienced and help to make the Grand Palais over the years. This material gave rise to History of the Grand Palais, a river of a piece filled with humour and anecdotes that reveals the hectic life of the monument to the public. The fresco is digitally printed flat on 600 wooden panels and took over a month to produce and assemble, piece by piece.

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