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France Sparkles Ahead of 2024 Olympic Games

Elissa D. Hecker - Editor

By Maria T. Cannon

Maria T. Cannon is a junior associate at Amineddoleh & Associates, LLC, in Manhattan, an art and cultural heritage law firm, practicing entertainment, media, art, data protection and privacy law. in Manhattan. Maria earned her J.D. from the University of North Carolina Law School and completed her undergraduate degree at Wake Forest University in English Literature. She is admitted to the New York State Bar.



Château de Versailles, one of the sites of the 2024 Olympic Games. Image in Public Domain.


Speaking as a great supporter of the French beauty aesthetic of “effortless chic,” upon hearing that the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games would be held in Paris, I wondered: would the French effortless chic extend to the country’s game prep?

 

For the uninitiated, let me explain the French beauty aesthetic. Think about undone hair, resulting in perfectly-tousled waves. Little to no makeup on models, who sport flawless, poreless, wrinkleless complexions. It is the product of extensive backstage prep and beauty regimes, only to come together in one, seemingly-effortless front-facing effect. Effortless chic. 

 

This was my initial thought when hearing about Paris 2024. And – As it turns out – I was not far from the mark. 

 

Photos showcasing France’s top artistic and cultural sites boast dazzling new facades, which seem to have popped up overnight. The impact is effortless. The prep was anything but, however. 

 

France’s Ministry of Culture (along with other agencies) has been quietly launching extensive restoration projects of major artistic and cultural sites for the past several years. These projects range from sites where games will be held to other heavily-touristed areas that expect a sharp increase in foot traffic. This was no small feat, so the Ministry enlisted the best of the best, starting with the Ateliers De France. 

 

Ateliers De France

 

The Ateliers De France is a group of 50+ architectural and design firms specializing in artisan craftsmanship and preservation of art and cultural heritage. The firms are experts in necessary, ancient artisan skills, such as leatherwork, goldleafing, paint matching, ironwork, and decorative painting.  

 

These studios are notoriously competitive – and truly hate to share their methods and secrets  - so bringing artisans from multiple studios together on major sites was a bit of untested territory. Happily, the result was of overwhelming cooperation, collaboration, and companionship. The consortium’s president, Antoine Courtois, stated that his goal from the start was to cultivate this environment of transparency across skill sets. 

 

The artists and artisans behind these projects began to share skill sets, and among themselves, sought to see the sharing as a moral obligation – at times rising to their patriotic duty. Courtois explained this phenomena as saying “that to not transmit such skills is theft . . . We must learn, and we must share.”

 

Of the major cultural sites which restoration projects were spearheaded by Ateliers De France (the Grand Palais, the Palais Garnier, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, and the Château de Versailles), two stand out in terms of scope and ambition. 

 

The first is the Grand Palais. This is a huge, glass-domed hall dating back to 1900, and will be the site of Olympic fencing and tae kwon do. The Grand Palais has also been the site of Chanel’s fashion shows since 2005. 

 

Renovating and restoring the Grand Palais required an extensive team of artisans trained in the most unpredictable skill of ironwork. This is because the Belle Epoque beauty contains more iron than the Eiffel Tower (it contains 8,500 tons of iron, whereas the Eiffel Tower contains 3,500). 

 

Over 1,000 individuals teamed up to restore the space. Due to the extensive metalwork required, one team in particular was called in as designated hitter – VLD, a studio specializing in metalwork (including iron and bronze work). VLD worked painstakingly to replace and resorted the decorative metal flowers and guardrails anchoring the space. These are details most onlookers may take for granted, but when restored to their former glory, provide essential foundational viewpoints for the overall impact of such a massive interior. 

 

VLD worked tirelessly to preserve and restore even the smallest details. A team of backbreaking perfectionists went to work on this project. As an example, resorting the balustrades alone took the artisans over 3,000 hours of concentrated work. Even more astonishingly, a good portion of this work was spent scraping paint off of the rails layer by layer to reveal the exact original shade of black. This exact black color was then ordered, mixed, and applied on all of the remaining rails. 

 

Getting approval for this – and other – restoration projects ahead of the Games was a monumental task in itself. France’s Ministry of Culture adheres to the Heritage Code, which delineates the circumstances in which repairs, modifications, and interventions may be applied to historical monuments. This code defines monuments, as well as their surroundings – a vicinity of roughly 500 meters, although this could be more or less, depending on what is needed to accommodate the building and preserve integrity of the site. 

 

Projects related to historical monuments, and areas in their vicinity, must be approved by the Architect of the Buildings of France. The Architect of the Buildings of France reports to the Ministry of Culture and works under that authority when overseeing a project concerning heritage, environment, architecture, and/or urban planning. 

 

This means that anyone wanting to complete a restoration project in France approaches the Architect, braced with detailed plans and prospective studies – anything that might be required to ensure that their project will be completed in the best interest of the monument (with the end-goal of preserving France’s patrimony). 

 

Tests of this kind were a big component prior to work at another site headed by Ateliers De France (and, in my opinion, their second major triumph): the Château de Versailles. 

 

Château de Versailles

 

As Château de Versailles is a crucial piece of French cultural heritage – and a UNESCO protected heritage site (extending to the grounds and gardens) to boot – the projects accomplished here to prepare for the Games faced multiple administrative hurdles. 

 

First, in order to maintain the integrity of the architecture and the landscape, the Ministry required results from extensive compulsory testing prior to the Ateliers De France work. These tests spanned a variety of disciplines, including architectural, pyrotechnical, and archaeological (the concern being that implementing temporary structures could damage the foundation of the Château de Versailles). 

 

A tall order, but nothing Ateliers De France couldn’t handle as they began their ambitious work. The Hall of Mirrors (restored principally by Atelier Meriguet-Carriere) and the Buffet d’Eau fountain (restored by Atelier Chevalier) posed particular challenges, as they are both so iconic in their own rights. The detailed preservation work here is so precise as to be nearly insusceptible – a true sign of artistic genius, and an absolute testament to the skill level of these studios. 

 

Another interesting problem for the Château de Versailles site was how to erect the grandstands for the equestrian events. 16,000 spectators have already purchased tickets. The stands had to rise in temporary structures and be removed with little-to-no damage to the storied grounds. 

 

As if that were not difficult enough, this being France (as the title holder of the chicest country in the world), the grandstands also had to look beautiful. Anne Murac, the Paris 2024 site manager for Château de Versailles, stated that the grandstands had to blend in with the scenery to avoid looking “too ugly.” This meant staggering the stands slightly to accommodate both the gorgeous, natural tree line and accommodate views from the neighboring Château. 

 

Pictures of the stands reveal success on all accounts. Marie Antonette – a purported stickler for appearances – would be proud. 

 

When you watch the Games this year, pay attention to the sparkling, multidisciplinary presentation of culture and sport. 

 

Paris has never looked better. 

 

Vive la France!

 

Links:

Heritage Code (L.621-30 to L.621-32 for regulations on vicinity of historical monuments):https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/section_lc/LEGITEXT000006074236/LEGISCTA000006129165/ 

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