Palais Garnier’s grand staircase and richly decorated public rooms make the opera house a spectacle before performance begins. Designed by Charles Garnier and inaugurated in 1875, it joined stage machinery with the ceremonial social life of nineteenth-century Paris.
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At Palais Garnier, arriving at the performance was part of the performance. Charles Garnier’s design gives the grand staircase and foyers a theatrical role: visitors could see and be seen as they moved through the building.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- An international competition for the new opera house was held in 1860.
- Charles Garnier’s opera house was inaugurated on 5 January 1875.
- The grand staircase was designed as a showplace where visitors could see and be seen.
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