French painter Claire Tabouret has been chosen to design new contemporary stained glass windows for the newly renovated Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
The decision was made as part of a competition hosted by the French Ministry of Culture, which shortlisted 110 artists before narrowing it down to eight finalists. The artist was chosen by a 20-member committee, including conservators, artists and representatives of the Paris diocese and the French Ministry of Culture. Other finalists include French painter Daniel Buren and French-based Chinese portraiture expert Yan Peiming.
Tabouret’s design will undergo six months of detailed research before being manufactured, which is expected to take a year and a half. Installation of the stained glass windows is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
To realize her vision, Tabouret will collaborate with glassmaking studio Atelier Simon-Marq in Reims. Founded in 1640, this renowned studio has a history of working with some of the leading contemporary artists, including Marc Chagall and Joan Miró.
Tabre confirmed in a statement that the commission would be a “concrete work of art.”
“My work is dedicated to figurative painting and personal themes. I have reached a point in my life where I want to serve something greater than myself,” Tabre said. “At first, I doubted whether I was worthy of it. This commission is very bold and it will be in a beloved historic building. But you have to believe in contemporary artists.”
She added: “In our time of war, extreme division and tension, the opportunity to use my art to promote unity through Pentecostal themes is a beautiful act of hope. It will be a figurative work of art, So that people from different cultures can understand it without explanations or labels. With the help of Atelier Simon-Marq, we aimed to balance them so that the white light does not distort.”
Tabouret was born in Perti, France in 1981. He studied at the Cooper Union in New York and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, completing his studies in 2006. She moved to Los Angeles in 2015, where she currently lives and works. Since graduating, the artist has gained worldwide recognition for his evocative portraits of children, many of which bear red scar-like markings on their faces.
Tabouret is represented by Almine Rech and Perrotin, both of which have organized solo exhibitions for the artist. Her evocative portraits are on display at the Holy See Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale. Her work has also been exhibited at Night Gallery, SADE Gallery, and several prestigious institutions, including ICA Miami in 2023 and the Picasso Museum in 2021.
Notre Dame reopened on December 7 after the 861-year-old building was partially destroyed in a fire on April 15, 2019. Another contemporary addition to the cathedral comes from minimalist liturgical furniture by French designer Guillaume Bardet, who currently has a solo exhibition at the Kreo gallery in Paris.
