Subscriber content

A sketch for the ceiling of the Opéra donated to the Musée de Picardie

All the versions of this article: English , français

7/12/24 - Acquisition - Amiens, Musée de Picardie - Hidden for nearly 60 years by Chagall’s ceiling, the painting by Jules-Eugène Lenepveu (ill. 1) was intended by Charles Garnier for his opera, which he conceived as a total work of art. Today, all we know of this immense painting on copper plates is its preparatory cardboard, kept in reserve at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Angers, and a large number of sketches and painted replicas, several of which were exhibited in the recent retrospective (see article).


1. Jules-Eugène Lenepveu (1819-1898)
The Muses and the Hours of Day and Night, 1869-1871
Ceiling now masked by that of Chagall
Oil on copper plate
Paris, Opéra Garnier
Photo: CNAP (public domain)
See the image in its page

The Musée de Picardie recently had the…

To access this content, you must subscribe to The Art Tribune. The advantages and conditions of this subscription, which will also allow you to support The Art Tribune, are described on the subscription page. If you would like to test the subscription, you can subscribe for one month (at €8) and if you don’t like it, you can send us an e-mail asking us to unsubscribe you (at least ten days before the next direct debit).

If you are already a subscriber, sign in using this form.

Your comments

In order to be able to discuss articles and read the contributions of other subscribers, you must subscribe to The Art Tribune. The advantages and conditions of this subscription, which will also allow you to support The Art Tribune, are described on the subscription page.

If you are already a subscriber, sign in.