In January 2025, the Palais Garnier celebrated its 150th anniversary. This architectural masterpiece, inaugurated under Napoleon III, is one of the two theaters that make up the Paris National Opera, alongside the Opera Bastille, opened in 1989 to represent a contemporary vision of lyric art . Together, these two rooms embody the heart of the opera and the French ballet. Despite these celebrations, the Garnier Palace is going through a deep crisis. Alexander Neef, director since 2020, renewed until 2032, faces major challenges while a report by the Court of Auditors published in October 2024 points to financial, heritage and social tensions threatening the future of this emblematic institution.
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Classified as a historic monument, it requires major renovations. If the heritage visits broke a record in 2023 with 1.2 million visitors, who generated significant income, this crowd also accelerates the wear of an already fragile heritage. According to the report, the needs are colossal: waterproofing of roofs, upgrading to the standards of scenic infrastructure and modernization of electrical systems. These works, estimated at 200 million euros by 2030, remain underfunded. With public endowments capped at 5 million euros per year, strategic hesitations, such as the abandonment of the modular room in Bastille, amplified the financial pressure.
Social tensions, recurrent at the Paris National Opera, remain a central problem. The 2019 and 2020 strikes linked to the pension reform led to losses estimated at 18 million euros, affecting both the image and finance of the institution. The dancers, central figures of the opera ballet, denounce intense schedules and the insufficiency of professional retraining programs. This is added to a system of bonuses and contributions deemed opaque, which feeds tensions with management. To maintain balance, Alexander Neef has bet on a more profitable programming, reducing new lyrical productions for the benefit of covers and less expensive ballets.
-Garnier struggles to balance his accounts with a gauge limited to 2,101 places and high production costs
Despite an optimized poster, Garnier is struggling to balance his accounts with a gauge limited to 2,101 places and high production costs. While the institution is going through a critical period, the two major scenes from the Paris Opera are preparing to close their doors for long renovation periods: the Garnier palace from mid-2027 to mid-2029, followed by Bastille from 2030. These interruptions threaten to dig more the financial and artistic weaknesses of the opera. Faced with these deadlines, the institution will have to redefine its strategy to guarantee both its economic viability and its cultural influence.
