Exterior of the Opera Garnier Paris, France. The Palais Garnier is a 1,979-seat opera house, which was built from 1861 to 1875 for the Paris Opera. The principal facade is on the south side of the building, overlooking the Place de l'Opéra and terminates the perspective along the Avenue de l'Opéra. Fourteen painters, mosaicists and seventy-three sculptors participated in the creation of its ornamentation. The two gilded figural groups, Charles Gumery's L'Harmonie (Harmony) and La Poésie (Poetry), crown the apexes of the principal facade's left and right avant-corps. They are both made of gilt copper electrotype. The Palais Garnier is a 1,979-seat opera house, which was built from 1861 to 1875 for the Paris Opera.