Théâtre des Champs-Élysées: an early Art Deco landmark
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées: an early Art Deco landmark
The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées is a Paris building dating from 1911–1913, commonly described as an early Art Deco landmark. The architectural archive gives its address as 15 rue Montaigne, 75008 Paris; the theatre’s own history page lists 15 avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris. [1][2][3][4]
The Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine lists Auguste and Gustave Perret, Henry van de Velde, and Roger Bouvard as architects. The theatre’s history page also credits Antoine Bourdelle and Maurice Denis among the designers; the archive specifically attributes the building’s sculpted frieze and peristyle frescoes to Bourdelle, and its painted ceiling dome to Denis. [5][6][7][8]
- Structure made legible: The archive describes a concrete frame clad in white marble, with the frame left visible. That emphasis on a clear structural system offers a contrast to Art Nouveau’s organic, flowing forms. [9][10]
- A contrast of materials: On the side façade, concrete beams stand against brick infill. This makes the building’s construction and geometry readable, aligning with Art Deco’s broader preference for angular, geometric forms over Art Nouveau’s sinuous curves. The archive documents this feature; the stylistic comparison comes from broader accounts, not a building-specific classification in the archive. [11][12]
The shift was not simply a ban on decoration: the theatre also has Bourdelle’s sculpted frieze. Its value as an example is the balance between sculptural detail and visible structure, rather than a claim that Art Deco abandoned ornament altogether. [13][14][15]
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