The only one of its kind in the world, this late-18C centre, located in the Villars quarter, was designed to preserve and showcase the costumes and scenery of the Opéra National de Paris, the performing arts department of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, and the Comédie Française. This continually expanding centre has more than 10 000 costumes in its collection, the oldest dating from the latter half of the 19C. An exhibition devoted to dancer Rudolf Nureyev (1938-1993) presents stage costumes and personal memorabilia, among other interesting items.