In 1921, among the hundreds of Parisian theaters, the Théâtre Daunou was born, a stone's throw from the Opéra Garnier. In a superb Art Deco style, this cultural venue was commissioned by actress Jane Renouardt, a great silent film star, who entrusted the interior decoration to her close friend Jeanne Lanvin, the great French couturier. And it's thanks to this woman that the theater is the only one in the capital not to sport the usual red color, but rather blue, the Bleu Lanvin she created!
A veritable jewel, the room is also adorned with fine gold daisies, Jeanne Lanvin's favorite flower. The color blue is not insignificant, as it is a nod to the established order of the interwar period. But let's not forget that blue was also the royal color, very common a few centuries ago. The Théâtre de la Reine at the Château de Versailles is another example. Always avant-garde and rather subversive, the theater has also always been run by women!
Listed as a Monument Historique, the Daunou theater has been undergoing renovation since 2020, by the 6e Sens Immobilier group, after a century without work. It will soon be handed back to the public, and is due to reopen in September 2024, giving you the chance to rediscover this astonishing and unique blue building in the capital! Thanks to this restoration, it will be possible to rediscover the animal decor of the stage framing, which disappeared after the theater burned down in the 1970s.
Location
Daunou Theatre
7 Rue Daunou
75002 Paris 2
Access
Metro Opéra
Official website
theatredaunou.fr
