L ­­et's support the Opera, let's bid for creation !

To help support the artists who have made the Opera a living center of creation for over 350 years, the Paris Opera has chosen to organise the first auction in its history in collaboration with Sotheby's. After two years of unprecedented threats to creativity and creators, art is more necessary than ever to solicit dialogue between individuals and must be shared with all.

This sale is part of the initiative entitled ‘Mon Opéra Responsable et Engagé (#MORE)’, which reaffirms the Paris Opera's commitment to playing a greater role in the community, by continuously striving, to Create, Propose, Preserve and Pass on.

These ambitions are intimately linked. This unprecedented sale will contribute first and foremost to supporting creation at the Opera, as it constitutes the heart of the institution's activity. It enables the mobilisation and enrichment of artistic and craft skills. It is central to the training of artists and to the transmission of knowledge.

But creating is also, more than ever, a necessity to reach out to all audiences, by proposing works of our time, which echo the questions that animate our societies and the diversity of individuals that compose them. Creating allows us to speak to new generations and to those who are far from opera, dance and music.

Thanks to the results of this sale, the Opera is committed to continuing and developing its actions in favour of access for all to its performances: young people's previews of new performances, young people's subscriptions, ‘Ma Première Fois à l’Opéra’ evenings, family subscriptions, the educational programme ‘10 Mois d’Ecole et d’Opéra’ which currently exists in Ile-de-France and could be extended throughout the country…

The Paris Opera would like to warmly thank all the donors and contributors to this historic sale. We hope that the works and experiences presented in this catalogue, many of which are linked to the history of our house, will inspire you to help make this sale a success.

Alexander Neef
Directeur général de l’Opéra national de Paris