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- The Institut, home of the Académie des Beaux-Arts
Photo: Guilhem Vellut (CC BY 2.0) - See the image in its page
Yesterday, Wednesday 20 December, the Académie des Beaux-Arts published a press release without ambiguity on the project to replace Viollet-le-Duc’s stained glass windows in Notre-Dame. While it does not call on people to sign the petition, which it does not mention, its position is clear and in line with ours: it is not opposed to the installation of a few contemporary stained glass windows in the monument, but insists that "the work of today’s artists should not be carried out at the cost of removing existing decor", which is simply common sense. It thus takes up our idea - or rather that of La Tribune de l’Art reader Nicolas Giraudet, who suggested it in a commentary on an article - to consider installing them in the north tower, in a place that would also be accessible to the public.
It should also be noted that, like us, the academics welcomed "the announcement made by the President of the Republic [...] of the opening of a museum dedicated to the cathedral within the Hôtel-Dieu".
This sets the record straight once again. Some people, particularly on social networks, think they can accuse us of being political opponents of the President of the Republic, thus being against contemporary art. Our articles say quite the opposite: when Emmanuel Macron makes good decisions for heritage, and the creation of the museum at the Hôtel-Dieu is an excellent one, we say it loud and clear, and we thank him for it. When he vandalises our heritage or allows it to be vandalised (which, unfortunately, happens quite often), we say so too. We have always held this position: La Tribune de l’Art does not play partisan politics, it defends heritage. We fight against the politicians who threaten it, whatever side they are on, and we are on their side when they defend it. The same applies to everything to do with Notre-Dame.
As for contemporary art, the reason we say so little about it is because it’s outside our remit. That’s why we only tackle it when it poses a threat to historic monuments. Let us repeat: contemporary stained glass windows can be installed in old churches provided that they do not replace what already exists and that their composition and colouring respect the architecture that they decorate. Many people give the example of the stained glass windows by Pierre Soulages in Conques: but while they are superb and well suited to the monument - and this is just our opinion, we are also entitled to think differently - it’s a shame that they replaced the stained glass windows by Francis Chigot, an excellent Art Deco artist (now on show in an exhibition at the Cité du Vitrail in Troyes).
Our line is therefore clear: to defend our heritage against all those who attack it. We’ll never waver from that.