Musée national des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie

The gold-leafed Art Deco bas-reliefs wrapping the exterior of this building depict the economic and cultural influence of the French colonies. Designed for the nineteen thirty-one Colonial Exhibition, the structure served as a permanent museum to display the resources and arts of territories from Africa to the South Pacific. Inside, architect Albert Laprade included an aquarium in the basement, where visitors once watched tropical fish while walking through the grand galleries above. It now houses the Cité nationale de l’histoire de l’immigration.