Interior view

In the wake of his first important private decorative commission in 1897 for the Paris h�tel of Baron Denys Cochin, the Legend of St Hubert, Denis was kept busy by a succession of decorative projects for religious and secular settings, notable among them being the enormous decorative scheme on the theme of the History of Music for the Th�âtre des Champs-Elys�es (1912-13; in situ) and the History of the French Arts for the cupola of the Petit Palais (1924-25; in situ).

Opened in 1913, the Theatre des Champs Elys�es is one of the most beautiful performing venues in Paris. This building houses, in reality, three theatres - Le Grand Theatre is home to opera, dance, symphonic concerts and recitals, while the more intimate settings of La Com�die and Le Studio host repertory theatre. This Art Deco style building was designed by a daring group of artists: architects Van de Velde and the Perret Brothers, the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle who carved Isadora Duncan among others in the bas-reliefs on the fa�ade, the painters Maurice Denis and Edouard Vuillard and Ren� Lalique who designed the lights.

The artistic adventure of the Theatre was marked throughout the century by the presence of prestigious composers, conductors, dancers and singers. This theatre remains noted for the “scandal” of the first performance of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes whose music and choreography were shocking at that time.

The photo shows the view of the cupola. The model of the decoration is exhibited at the Mus�e d’Orsay, Paris.