Google Cultural Institute Highlights an Opulent Paris Opera House

by Todd R. Weiss

Here is where it all happens, on the stage of the Palais Garnier, looking out over the grand Mezzanine and Orchestra sections, where adoring crowds have been watching performances for more than 139 years.

Here the Grand Foyer is shown in all of its opulent glory, from its glistening wooden floors to its gilded walls and ceilings and its spectacular chandeliers and draperies.

No detail was spared inside the Palais Garnier, where even the staircase is something to behold. In this image, the ground floor main staircase and Grand Véstibule come to life with spectacular symmetry, form, materials and color.

Outside the Palais Garnier, the surrounding city streets meet the building’s façade with a mix of sculptures, arches, gates and other architectural details.

Even from the seats in the upper Mezzanine, the opulence of this gorgeous opera house is readily apparent, down to every minute detail that can be seen almost as far as the eye can see.

Not to be outdone by the spectacular interior of the opera house, the roof of the Palais Garnier features dramatic sculptures and architectural surprises, while providing magnificent views of Paris from every angle.

Below the Palais Garnier, which was later named for its architect, Charles Garnier, accommodations had to be made to deal with groundwater on the site, so an underground “lake” was created to store the water, according to sources.

Inside the opera house is this information- and art-filled library of opera and the arts, where shelves of books mingle with colorful paintings and ornate shadow boxes depicting miniature views of stage designs of operas past.

On the ceiling of the opera house, high above the auditorium seats, is Marc Chagall’s masterpiece artwork, a series of colorful panels commissioned by the opera house in 1960, according to Google. Created and completed in 1964, the work celebrates composers from Beethoven to Wagner, as well as famous actors and dancers.

While the productions go on inside the Palais Garnier, the streets of Paris outside are usually bustling. This view of the gold-topped building shows the mix of old and new in the neighborhood around it.