August 31, 1988
President of the Opéra de Paris
Related to Pierre Bergé
On August 31, 1988, President François Mitterrand named Pierre Bergé head of the Opéras de Paris, making him president of the Opéra de Bastille, the Opéra du Palais Garnier, and the École de danse de Nanterre.
The idea of building another opera house for the Opéra de Paris had already been broached during Valéry Giscard d’Estaing’s presidency. Mitterrand returned to the project and announced the construction of a “modern and popular” opera house in the heart of Paris on the Place de la Bastille. Bergé remained in this position until 1994, when he became honorary president.
