L'Opéra Garnier, dessins pour un chef-d'œuvre

Description

The very many plans produced by Charles Garnier and his agency to build one of the world's most famous opera houses have never been the subject of a specific publication. They deserve to be, however, because of their splendour - some of them are works of art in their own right - and their interest in the history of one of the most emblematic buildings in Parisian town planning and Second Empire architecture. Most of Charles Garnier's plans are preserved at the Bibliothèque-musée de l'Opéra (Music Department of the Bibliothèque nationale de France), as the architect had wished, but also at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, in the collection bequeathed by the architect's widow, and at the Médiathèque du Patrimoine et de la Photographie in the collections of the various chief architects of Monuments historiques who looked after the Palais Garnier after the architect's death. This book highlights this rich heritage by selecting the most important drawings and presenting them according to an architectural logic: exteriors (with the different façades) and interiors (Vestibule, Grand Escalier, Avant-foyer, Grand Foyer, subscriber areas, areas intended for the Emperor, auditorium, dance foyer, etc.). The 1860 competition and the various projects submitted (Garnier's project has never been found...) are mentioned in the preamble. A note introduces each of the sections related to the architecture of the building, providing a context for the documents.

Projects that were not completed, either because of a change in Garnier's thinking or because of the history of the building site, are presented in the book to show these little-known spectacular documents and to understand Garnier's architectural thinking as it evolved towards both greater refinement and pragmatism.

A general introduction reviews the history of the construction of the Palais Garnier. It is illustrated with photographs of the building site.