Palais Garnier, 150 Years of Poetry

The painting had barely had time to dry in certain places. The commission – a titanic project lasting 14 years – was only just finished. No matter! When the Opera House was inaugurated on 5 January 1875 by Marshal de Mac Mahon, President of the French Republic, every single person who climbed the exquisite grand escalier was dumbfounded. They all understood, in an instant, that this was somewhere to see – and to be seen. The public that evening applauded the performers of Rossini’s William Tell and Léo Delibes ballet The Spring. However, they knew full well that the real star of the night was the Opera House itself. Built in a Second Empire aesthetic, it combined classic, Baroque and Renaissance influences. The brilliant architect Charles Garnier had recruited an expert team of sculptors, painters, decorators and mosaicists, all of whom – like him – were more than happy to shake up convention. “What style is that? It’s not a style at all! It’s neither Greek nor Louis XVI, and not even Louis XV,” the Empress Eugénie supposedly exclaimed when first presented with the project. Garnier insisted, and history proved him right. At its inauguration, the Palais Garnier became a spectacle in its own right, an enchanted setting separating audiences from the world outside.

As part of the celebrations for its 150th anniversary, this masterpiece will be hosting concerts, exhibitions, talks, artistic residencies and guided tours throughout 2025. And needless to say, it will continue inspiring emotion and awe for countless years to come.

Article from the Magazine Esprit de France.

Cover - © Eléna Bauer - Opéra national de Paris