A descendant of the painter whose Paris Opera ceiling Chagall covered in the 1960s is planning legal action to uncover it. Keep Chagall's work, or bring back the original?
Jules-Eugène Lenepveu's 19th-century ceiling, listed as a historic monument in 1923, has been hidden for about 60 years under Chagall's canvases, which were designed to be removable. Arnaud Carayon has also proposed alternating the two every decade once the Palais Garnier reopens after its 2027-32 renovation.
What happened
In 1962 French culture minister André Malraux commissioned Marc Chagall to make a new ceiling for the Palais Garnier. Chagall's 24 canvases, covering 220 sq metres, were installed over Jules-Eugène Lenepveu's 19th-century painting on the dome's copper plates, which architect Charles Garnier had chosen. Lenepveu's descendant Arnaud Carayon, president of the Friends of Lenepveu Society, says he has asked for three years and has now instructed a lawyer. He wrote to President Macron, whose office said he was "particularly attentive" to the issue.
Why people disagree
Supporters of the original say Garnier designed the building as one whole, that Lenepveu's work is a listed monument nobody has seen for 60 years, and that Chagall's ceiling was made to come down without damage. Defenders of Chagall say his ceiling is a complete work of art in its own right, which a Pompidou Centre curator called his autobiography and his gift to the country that welcomed him.
What's still unclear
Nobody knows what state Lenepveu's painting is in after 60 years under the canvases. It's also unclear whether a court case could succeed, and what the Paris Opera and the French government will decide before the 2027-32 renovation.
Sources
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