Palais Garnier hosts PROJECT 12 from 21 to 30 October

Palais Garnier hosts PROJECT 12 in Paris from 21 to 30 October 2026, bringing a contemporary art exhibition into one of France’s major opera houses. The public display is organised by the Paris Opera and Arop, the Association for the Outreach of the Paris Opera.

PROJECT 12 brings 12 works to Palais Garnier

The exhibition presents 12 works produced through PROJECT 12, an artist residency launched for the 150th anniversary of the theatre in 2025. The Paris Opera describes the works as a dialogue between the building’s past and present, with the participating artists drawing on their experience of the monument and its atmosphere.

The exhibition is open to visitors as part of a visit to the theatre, except on days of exceptional closure. The operator’s PROJECT 12 exhibition page places the display at Palais Garnier from 21 to 30 October 2026. ResMusica reports that visitors can see the 12 paintings and sculptures around the building’s first floor during the exhibition period.

Contemporary art meets Charles Garnier’s theatre

Charles Garnier designed the theatre, which was inaugurated on 5 January 1875. Its public areas include the Grand Foyer, the grand staircase, salons and the Library-Museum of the Opera, giving the exhibition a setting where architecture and visual art are encountered together.

The auditorium is in the Italian style, and its ceiling was painted by Marc Chagall in 1964. The building has been listed as a historical monument since 1923. That long architectural history gives PROJECT 12 a precise connection to the place: the works are not shown in a neutral gallery but within the foyers, circulation spaces and public rooms of a working nineteenth-century theatre. The exhibition’s 12 works therefore extend the building’s continuing relationship with artistic production rather than replacing its opera and ballet identity.

The residency also has a later public consequence. The works are scheduled for an auction at Sotheby’s in Paris on 3 December 2026, after the Palais Garnier presentation. The exhibition thus gives visitors an opportunity to see the works in the building that inspired them before their next stage.

Paris Opera and Arop link residency to 2025 anniversary

PROJECT 12 was launched by the Paris Opera and Arop on the occasion of the Palais Garnier’s 150th anniversary in 2025. The programme places new commissions alongside a theatre whose spaces preserve the visual language of Charles Garnier’s design, from the grand staircase to the painted ceiling above the auditorium.

The exhibition also sits within Paris’s autumn art calendar, alongside Art Basel Paris. Its fixed run from 21 to 30 October 2026 gives travellers a defined opportunity to combine a visit to the theatre with a temporary display of contemporary works.

Visiting Palais Garnier: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• PROJECT 12 is presented at Palais Garnier from 21 to 30 October 2026. The 12 works form part of a visit to the theatre.
• Access to the exhibition is through a visit to Palais Garnier, and the operator warns that exceptional closures can affect access on particular days.
• The theatre stands at the corner of rue Scribe and rue Auber in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Metro Opéra is served by lines 3, 7 and 8, while RER Auber is on RER A.
• The building includes a grand staircase and a 30-metre-high nave, so the visit takes place through substantial historic interior spaces rather than a single gallery room.

PROJECT 12 gives the 21 to 30 October 2026 visit a contemporary-art focus while retaining the opera house’s architectural and performance context.

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Frequently asked questions about Palais Garnier

When does PROJECT 12 take place at Palais Garnier?

PROJECT 12 runs from 21 to 30 October 2026 at Palais Garnier in Paris. It presents 12 works from the artist residency created by the Paris Opera and Arop.

What is PROJECT 12 at Palais Garnier?

It is a public exhibition of 12 works created through an artist residency launched for the theatre’s 150th anniversary in 2025. The works are presented as part of a visit to the building.

Where is Palais Garnier and how do you get there?

Palais Garnier is at the corner of rue Scribe and rue Auber in Paris. Metro Opéra is served by lines 3, 7 and 8, and RER Auber is on RER A.