Olympic ‘Last Supper’ scene was in fact based on painting of Greek gods, say art experts | Paris Olympic Games 2024

The Olympic opening ceremony featured a contentious tableau criticized by Christian and conservative groups as a disrespectful take on The Last Supper, but art historians argue it was actually influenced by a 17th-century Dutch painting depicting Greek Olympian gods.

“Does this artwork evoke anything for you?” the Magnin Museum in Dijon, France, playfully asked on X, encouraging viewers to “come and enjoy” The Feast of the Gods by Jan van Bijlert, created between 1635 and 1640.

On Sunday, the Paris 2024 organizing committee issued an apology to Catholics and other Christian groups for any offense taken from the performance, which included drag queens, a transgender model, and a semi-naked singer in a fruit bowl.

French bishops expressed regret over the “excesses and provocations” of the tableau, which they found to be “a mockery of Christianity.” Far-right politicians in France and conservative Christians in the US and beyond have been particularly vocal in their criticisms.

Leonardo da Vinci’s famous The Last Supper depicts the last meal of Jesus with his apostles. However, Thomas Jolly, the creative director of the opening ceremony, dismissed the notion that the tableau titled “Festivity” was influenced by this painting.

“That wasn’t my inspiration,” he told BFM TV. “It’s quite evident. There’s Dionysus at the table … His presence signifies the god of feasting, of wine, and he’s the father of Sequana, the goddess of the River Seine.”

The event on Friday drew 23 million viewers in France and was deemed a success by 86% according to a Harris poll; Dionysus was portrayed by singer-songwriter Philippe Katerine, while Sequana featured in another scene played by Floriane Issert, a non-commissioned officer in the Gendarmerie nationale, who rode a metal horse along the river.

Jolly stated that the intention was “to create a grand pagan celebration connected to the Olympian gods … I have no desire to mock or belittle anything. My aim was to design a ceremony that brings healing and unity.”

Although Jolly did not specify which artwork inspired the tableau, art historians from France and the Netherlands have identified van Bijlert’s piece, showing ancient Greek deities gathered for a feast on Mount Olympus.

Dutch art historian Walther Schoonenberg was unequivocal. “The tableau vivant or ‘living painting’ presented at the opening ceremony of Paris 2024 clearly references The Feast of the Gods, by Jan van Bijlert from 1635,” Schoonenberg stated on X.

According to Schoonenberg, Apollo was identifiable by his halo, Dionysus by the grapes, Poseidon held his trident, while Artemis and Venus were represented alongside Minerva, goddess of wisdom, and Mars, god of war.

“There’s no doubt this tableau is not an affront to Christians,” the historian insisted. “It’s a depiction of the Olympic gods as inspired by van Bijlert’s work, reflecting the ancient Games that occurred on Olympus.”

Nevertheless, the Magnin Museum acknowledged the parallels between van Bijlert’s piece and The Last Supper, created over a century earlier, during a period when the Protestant Reformation rejected Catholic art and destroyed many possessions.

This context may clarify the misunderstandings. “With the backdrop of the Reformation … the artist devised a means to paint a Christ-related Last Supper camouflaged within a mythological theme,” noted the museum.

Katerine expressed to Le Parisien his pride in the performance, claiming that nudity was “the true essence of the Games” and stating he was “thrilled” to contribute to the ceremony.

Hugo Bardin, who performed as the drag queen Paloma in the tableau, noted his disappointment at Paris 2024’s apology. “An apology implies acknowledging an error or that you intentionally harmed someone, which was not the case,” he remarked.