A descendant of a 19th-century artist is threatening legal action to remove Marc Chagall’s 1960s canvases that cover the original fresco at the Palais Garnier in Paris. This dispute has emerged more than four decades after Chagall's death, as Arnaud Carayon, a descendant of the original artist Jules-Eugène Lenepveu, seeks to restore the original ceiling.
Background
In 1962, then French culture minister André Malraux commissioned Chagall to create a new ceiling for the opera house, believing it needed a modern touch. Over two years, Chagall produced 24 large, colorful canvases that were installed over Lenepveu’s original work. Today, Carayon argues that Lenepveu’s ceiling, classified as a historic monument, has been hidden for 60 years and deserves to be seen again.
“"The Lenepveu ceiling is classified as a historic monument and yet it hasn’t been seen for 60 years and we have no idea what state it is in," Carayon stated.
The Artistic Legacy
Lenepveu, a friend and collaborator of Charles Garnier, the opera house's designer, created a classical work titled The Muses and the Hours of Day and Night. This work was recognized for its alignment with the ornate Second Empire style and was listed as a historic monument in 1923. Despite his contributions, Lenepveu's name has faded from public memory.
