Eva Jospin and Claire Tabouret Transform the Grand Palais

Eva Jospin’s Grottesco transforms Gallery 9 of the Grand Palais into a labyrinthine world where architecture dissolves into nature. The exhibition’s title references a Roman legend: a young man who accidentally fell into a forgotten cavity and discovered magnificent frescoes—later recognized as Nero’s Domus Aurea, buried for centuries. From this palace-turned-grotto emerged the “grotesque” style, where vegetal, architectural, and fantastical elements intertwine. Jospin has spent the past decade developing this theme, adding grottos to her signature forests, creating works that blur boundaries between sculpture, drawing, and installation.

The journey through Grottesco demands constant movement and discovery. Visitors navigate past a promontory, circle a cenotaph, and enter a grotto crowned with a dome reminiscent of the Pantheon. The path reveals architectural ruins and troglodyte dwellings before culminating in an impenetrable forest. But the exhibition resists singular viewpoints—it forces viewers to retrace their steps, discovering hidden faces and alternative perspectives.

Among the revelations are Jospin’s embroidered bas-reliefs, which challenge the hierarchy of artistic techniques. These textile-sculpture hybrids feature pearls, loose threads, fringes, and cascades that evoke reinvented nymphaeums and landscapes from another time—marking a bold new direction in her practice.

In another gallery space, Claire Tabouret presents something unprecedented: a behind-the-scenes look at her commission for six contemporary stained-glass windows for Notre-Dame Cathedral. Selected in December 2024 alongside the Simon-Marq workshop, Tabouret was tasked with interpreting the theme of Pentecost—a symbol of unity and harmony chosen by the Archbishop of Paris.

The exhibition displays life-size models, approximately seven meters tall, created using monotype technique. “I paint with ink on transparent Plexiglas, thinking of the image in reverse, sometimes playing with the movement of the brush, sometimes using stencils to create sharp outlines,” Tabouret explains. For each of the six bays, she painted around fifty pieces corresponding to different sections of the windows and their rosettes.

The scenography recreates the atmosphere of an artist’s workshop, allowing visitors to witness a rare moment of work-in-progress. Tabouret’s vibrant yet balanced colour palette respects Notre-Dame’s requirement to maintain white light, while her interpretation of Pentecost feels urgently contemporary. “We live in such a divided, chaotic, frightening world,” she reflects, drawn to the theme’s message of people united despite linguistic diversity. The stained-glass windows themselves will be installed in Notre-Dame by late 2026, making this exhibition a unique chance to witness the creative process behind a historic commission.

Both exhibitions demonstrate how contemporary artists can engage with history—whether through Jospin’s reimagining of grotesque ornamentation or Tabouret’s dialogue with sacred art traditions.

Eva Jospin’s Grottesco and Claire Tabouret’s D’un seul soufflé are on view at the Grand Palais thorugh March 15, 2026.