Notre-Dame de Paris: artist Claire Tabouret will create the controversial new stained glass windows

Desired by the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron and the Archbishop of Paris Mgr Laurent Ulrich, who want to leave a contemporary trace in the building devastated by a fire in 2019 and completely restored, these new stained glass windows must replace six of the seven bays of the south aisle (Seine side) by the end of 2026, designed by the XNUMXth century architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Claire Tabouret, who lives and works between France and Los Angeles, hoped that these works "could be understood by all" and "serve unity." "It took audacity to dare to bring this (contemporary) movement that is essential to our country, our religion, our culture," she added.

In a press release, the Elysée and the diocese of Paris stressed the "very high artistic quality" of its proposal, its "adequacy" with the stained glass window representing the Tree of Jesse (1864), which will remain in place, as well as "respect for the chosen figurative program (...) relating to Pentecost".

From the award of the contract by the public institution responsible for rebuilding Notre-Dame, six months of study are planned and about a year and a half of implementation, according to the Elysée and the diocese. For a budget of 4 million euros allocated by the Ministry of Culture, indicated Philippe Jost, head of the restoration project.

Petition

A number of heritage defenders behind a petition (nearly 245.000 signatures), launched by the director of the website La Tribune de l'Art Didier Rykner, are opposed to the project, as the old stained glass windows (called grisailles) were not damaged by the fire.

Colorful and, for the most part, composed of floral and geometric patterns, they could find a place in a museum or other religious building. The question will be examined in the coming months.

Contemporary anti-stained glass advocates particularly highlight the international charter of Venice, which in principle prohibits the replacement of existing works by new ones but which is not binding.

The heritage protection association Sites & Monuments intends to take legal action, which can only happen once the work permit, the equivalent of a building permit, has been filed.

"These stained glass windows are important for the architecture and will disappear, whereas in the north and south belfries there are white windows (non-decorative and recent) which could accommodate contemporary stained glass windows," Julien Lacaze, president of this association, told AFP.

Unfavorable opinion

Eight artists associated with a glass workshop were finalists for the creation of the new stained glass windows following a call for applications in April, to which 110 teams applied.

Among them, Jean-Michel Alberola, Daniel Buren, Yan Pei-Ming, Gérard Traquandi, Christine Safa, Flavie Serrière Vincent-Petit and Philippe Parreno, who finally withdrew due to his workload.

After submitting a test panel, the candidates took a major oral exam.

An artistic committee composed of 20 members (heritage curators, artists, members of the diocese of Paris, the public institution responsible for the reconstruction project and the Ministry of Culture) was tasked by the Minister of Culture Rachida Dati with choosing. This choice was made "in unison", according to its president Bernard Blistène.

Notre-Dame de Paris reopened on December 7, after a colossal five-year construction project.

The contemporary stained glass project received an unfavourable opinion from the National Commission for Heritage and Architecture, which remains advisory. In the past, this commission had opposed the Louvre pyramid or Buren's columns at the Palais-Royal.

In 1965, abstract stained glass windows by Jacques Le Chevallier (1896-1987) were added to the cathedral with the support of André Malraux, then Minister of Culture.