Théâtre des Champs-Élysées

The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées is defined by its facade of white Italian marble, inlaid with rectangular bas-reliefs by the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle. When the theater opened in nineteen thirteen, its stark, modern exterior shocked a public accustomed to the ornate, gold-leafed styles of the era. On its second night, the theater hosted the premiere of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. The avant-garde music and choreography incited a riot so intense that the dancers could not hear the orchestra over the shouting crowd.