A Gentle Revolution in Glass: Claire Tabouret Reimagines the Light of Notre-Dame
In the hushed, soaring nave of the Grand Palais, a quiet controversy is glowing on paper. The full-scale designs for six new stained-glass windows destined for the cathedral of Notre-Dame have been unveiled, casting a vibrant, debated light onto the cathedral’s restoration narrative. Created by French artist Claire Tabouret, these dazzling ink-on-paper maquettes propose to replace the 19th-century monochrome windows by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and Jean-Baptiste Lassus in the side chapels—a move that has sparked fervent protest from experts and historians. They argue that since the original glass survived the devastating 2019 fire unscathed, replacing them breaches vital cultural heritage guidelines, prioritizing contemporary art over historical integrity.
Stepping into this charged arena, the 44-year-old, Los Angeles-based painter offers a vision that is both radically fresh and deeply respectful. Her designs, selected from over 100 submissions, interpret the Pentecost—the biblical moment the Holy Spirit descended upon a community. “I’m not religious,” Tabouret admits, “but it is a story about community and celebration.” This humanist interpretation manifests as a breathtaking sequence where figurative groups give way to landscapes of roiling seas and windswept trees, all rendered in a vibrant, painterly palette of reds, greens, and blues. In a masterful gesture of continuity, Tabouret has subtly quoted Viollet-le-Duc’s original geometric patterns in the background of each scene, weaving the old architectural language into her new, animated tapestry.
Collaborating with the legendary stained-glass atelier Simon-Marq, known for working with modern masters like Miró and Dufy, Tabouret views the project as part of Paris’s ongoing artistic dialogue. “Every time there is a new artistic intervention… there is a controversy,” she reflects, citing the Buren columns and the Louvre Pyramid as initially contested landmarks that became beloved. “Change should be made with caution, and this project is very cautious, very gentle, harmonious.” As “Claire Tabouret: In a Single Breath” illuminates the Grand Palais until March 15th, it invites the public not merely to judge a replacement, but to witness a thoughtful conversation between centuries, where light, story, and history prepare to merge once more in the heart of a reborn cathedral.
