An_American_in_Paris This article is about the Gershwin composition. For the 1951 musical starring Gene Kelly, see An American in Paris (film).An American in Paris is a symphonic composition by American composer George Gershwin, composed in 1928. Inspired by time Gershwin had spent in Paris, it is in the form of an extended tone poem evoking the sights and energy of the French capital in the 1920s. It is one of Gershwin's best-known compositions.