French painter Claire Tabouret to design Notre-Dame’s stained-glass windows

Paris’s Notre-Dame Cathedral, freshly restored after the 2019 fire, is gearing up for another update – but this time, it’s a contemporary touch. The cathedral will soon showcase new stained glass windows designed by 43-year-old French artist Claire Tabouret, adding a distinctly 21st-century feel to the iconic landmark.

The new windows, which will replace the 19th-century creations commissioned by architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc (who oversaw the last major restoration), are part of the €846 million restoration project that has taken five and a half years to complete. Despite delays due to the pandemic and concerns over lead contamination, the project has largely met its original timeline, reopening to the public this month.

Tabouret’s design was chosen from over 100 submissions as part of a national competition to replace six windows in the cathedral’s chapels on the south side. These windows survived the catastrophic fire that ravaged the cathedral’s roof and spire, and the French Ministry of Culture’s plans to replace them have sparked significant debate – including opposition from the National Heritage Commission. 

Preservationists argue that the original windows should remain intact, citing international heritage guidelines like the 1964 Venice Charter, which calls for the preservation of original features unless absolutely necessary.

According to ARTnews, the Catholic Church reportedly specified that the winning artist must be figurative, excluding abstract artists from consideration.

“A figurative work of art,” Tabouret said in a statement, “Can be understood, without explanation or label, by people from different cultures.”

The artist was chosen by French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich. In a statement, Tabouret explained that her winning design features people from diverse cultural backgrounds, united in prayer to celebrate Pentecost.

“In times like ours, marked by war, extreme division, and tension, this opportunity to use my art to promote unity through the theme of the Pentecost is a wonderful gesture of hope,” she said.

The Los Angeles-based painter will collaborate with the renowned Simon-Marq glass studio in Reims, a historic workshop that was previously called upon to restore cathedrals damaged during World War II.