Palais de Tokyo in Paris is not the capital of Japan is practically nothing. The thing that separates him from the Seine river street (Avenue, new York until 1945, Tokyo was called Avenue. Had the same name was built near the Palace.

In the competition for the project of the Palace were 128 applicants, including Tony Garnier and Le Corbusier. Was won by the architects Jean-Claude Dondel and Andre Hubert, who has proposed building in the art Deco style. It was erected for the world exhibition of arts and technology, which opened in Paris in may 1937. During the event, the French planned to open at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris the Museum of modern art and procured for him a huge amount of works of artists, sculptors, graphic artists. However, with the project something went wrong, already prepared the collection was transferred to the Petit Palais.

After WWII it became clear that the squares of the Petit Palais for accommodation collection is sorely lacking. The situation worsened in 1953, when the exhibits were added generous gift of a large art collector Dr. Girardin. Then it was decided to revisit the idea of creating a Museum of contemporary art in the Palace of Tokyo.

Today in Paris, the Museum of modern art, there are about eight thousand items, representing the main currents of art of the past century. The historical section is filled with works of the fauves, Cubists, orviston, Surrealists. Extremely personable modern section (art after 1960). Here are exhibited works of the new realists (Arman, césar, Deschamps, Klein, Springs), the art of movement of FLUXUS (Ben, Ditman, FIU), movement Figuration narrative (Cueco, Erro, Romania, Stampfli).

Decoration of the Museum – a huge Matisse canvas "Paris dance" is a painting by Dufy "the electricity Fairy", made for the Paris energy management. 250 polychrome panels depict the history of electricity from Aristotle to the present day.

In 2010, unknown criminals have stolen from the Museum five paintings by Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani, Braque and Leger a total cost of about 100 million euros. The theft has caused shock among collectors: the work of this level, listed in all the directories, it is simply impossible to sell.