The First Scene—An Exhibition Marking the Bicentennial of the Opéra Grand Avignon

Two centuries later, the Opéra Grand Avignon looks back on this long cultural history. The first exhibition highlights key moments, prominent figures, and artifacts to bring these two hundred years to life. Behind the gilded decorations, the famous names, and the works in the repertoire lies a theater that has been built, rebuilt, and transformed—one that generations of artists, staff, and audiences have brought to life. The exhibition takes you from one side of the curtain to the other. Backstage, archives, photographs, costumes, artifacts, and personal accounts reveal the making of the performances and the life of the opera house. On stage, the works and artists are revealed, along with the tastes, practices, and emotions of the audiences—all of which make the Opera a living heritage, passed down and reinvented over the generations. Another exhibition, *Einstein on the Beach 1976–2026*, at the Maison Jean Vilar from November 5 through January 30, 2027, also invites you to explore the history of the Opéra Grand Avignon and sheds light on its ties to the Avignon Festival.