The east side of Notre Dame
The designs for Notre Dame’s new stained glass windows are on display at the Grand Palais in Paris.
Clair Tabouret was selected from a field of more than 100 artists in a juried competition to create the new contemporary stained glass for Notre Dame. Born and raised in France and now based in Los Angeles, Tabouret trained at the École des Beaux-Arts before continuing her studies as an exchange student at Cooper Union. She first gained significant attention from collectors when François Pinault, co-founder of the luxury groups Kering and Artémis, acquired one of her paintings at an art fair.
Tabouret developed the designs currently on view at the Grand Palais through an inventive process distinguished by its scale and physicality. Working on plexiglass plates, she painted each composition before pressing the surfaces onto large sheets of paper, transferring the imagery through direct contact. These impressions were then cut and assembled into the precise configuration they will ultimately assume within the cathedral, allowing viewers to experience the works as intended in architectural space.
The compositions depict Pentecost, the pivotal New Testament event described in the Book of Acts, in which the Holy Spirit descends upon the apostles and Mary Magdalene. According to scripture, the Spirit “filled the whole house where they were sitting,” appearing as tongues of fire that came to rest on each of them, enabling them to speak in other languages. Widely regarded by theologians as the foundational moment of the Christian Church, Pentecost is a deeply resonant subject, particularly well-suited to an artistic intervention at one of the world’s most significant sites of Christian worship.
For the production of the stained glass, Tabouret will collaborate with the master glassmakers at Atelier Simon-Marq in Reims, a historic studio renowned for its work with artists such as Joan Miró and Marc Chagall.
However, the decision to replace a portion of Notre Dame’s stained glass—specifically the grisailles—has prompted debate. Installed during Eugène Viollet-le-Duc’s nineteenth-century restoration of the cathedral, these windows are believed to have survived the 2019 fire without damage.
Opponents of the project argue that its replacement is unnecessary and may conflict with French cultural heritage protections governing historic monuments. Because the windows do not require replacement on conservation grounds, critics contend that the commission reflects less a curatorial or restorative necessity than a symbolic act—one that allows President Emmanuel Macron and Archbishop Laurent Ulrich to leave a contemporary imprint on one of the most historically and spiritually significant structures in the world.
In response, some critics sought to halt the project through legal channels, asserting that replacing the windows exceeds the scope of Notre Dame’s approved renovations. These claims were ultimately rejected by a French administrative court, clearing the way for the project to proceed. The National Heritage & Architecture Commission (CNPA), which initially opposed the proposal, later revised its position on the condition that the nineteenth-century windows be properly preserved and made accessible to the public.
Addressing the controversy, Tabouret cites precedents in which contemporary interventions were initially contested but later embraced, including Daniel Buren’s columns at the Palais-Royal and I. M. Pei’s pyramid at the Louvre. “Change should be made with caution,” she noted, describing the project as “very cautious, very gentle, harmonious.” She has further emphasized that her designs incorporate geometric motifs drawn directly from Viollet-le-Duc’s grisailles, ensuring that the nineteenth-century visual language remains present rather than erased.
Tabouret’s designs will be on display at the Grand Palais until March 15th, while the completed windows will be installed at Notre Dame at the end of 2026.