Why It’s Called the Jeu de Paume: From Tennis Court to Art Temple

Paris’s Jeu de Paume (1 Place de la Concorde) wasn’t built for art. Its name means "game of palm"—the medieval precursor to tennis, played with the hand, then gloved hand, then paddle.

In 1861, Emperor Napoleon III commissioned a luxury indoor tennis court in the Tuileries Gardens for the aristocracy. The building’s high ceilings, tall windows, and unobstructed span were perfect for the sport.

By 1909, tennis had moved outdoors. The structure became a gallery for contemporary art, then a storage depot for looted art during WWII (infamously curated by Göring). In 1947, it formally became a museum of Impressionism (later moved to Musée d’Orsay). Since 1991, it’s a center for photography and contemporary image.

So: Jeu de Paume = "tennis court" in Old French. The name stuck because the building’s original identity was too distinctive to erase.