Until March 2, the Parisian Museum of the Legion of Honor is hosting “Notre-Dame, les Gardiens du geste”, an exhibition in tribute to the craftsmen who rebuilt the cathedral for five years, following the terrible fire which ravaged the “old lady” one evening in 2019.
Victim of his success. Almost a month after its reopening, Notre-Dame de Paris is always full. It’s simple, the reservation slots to visit the renovated building are constantly full. It must be said that this Gothic gem attracts Parisians as much as tourists from all over the world. So if you are not ready to wait for hours in the cold before entering the cathedral, why not go and see the exhibition “Notre Dame, les Gardiens du geste” while you wait?
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Paintings that tell the little stories of the artisans
The latter, composed of paintings imagined by Laurence Bost, artist who painted the artisans while they worked on the restoration of Notre-Dame. In the dimly lit rooms of the Legion of Honor museum, the artist tells through his canvases the little stories of those who rebuilt the “old lady” with their hands and the sweat of their brow.
“In this painting, you have an American. When he knew that Notre-Dame had burned, he put all his things in storage. He came to settle in France to help them on this project” , says Laurence Bost at the microphone of Europe 1.
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A “modesty in the face of a common work which makes them superior”
On the canvases, carpenters, roofers and even cabinetmakers that Laurence Bost worked closely with for five years. “It allowed me to notice this great humility that they have. This modesty in the face of a common work which makes them superior.”
A tribute to the artisans of Notre-Dame which takes on its full meaning on the walls of the Legion of Honor museum. “Napoleon, when he created the Legion of Honor, it was universal. It will have the opportunity to highlight civilians who carried out this extraordinary work. It was really an opportunity to bear witness to the values that they embody “, recalls Tom Dutheil, the curator of the exhibition. “Notre-Dame, the Guardians of the Gesture” can be discovered until March 2 at the Legion of Honor museum, in the 7th arrondissement of Paris.
