The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics has sparked controversy and debate over its artistic choices, particularly a scene featuring drag queens that some have interpreted as a reference to “The Last Supper.”
The performance, which took place on and along the Seine on Friday, led Mississippi-based telecommunications provider C Spire to announce that it would pull its advertisements from Olympics broadcasts. Speaker Mike Johnson described the scene as “shocking and insulting to Christian people.”
However, the ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, defended the performance, stating that it was not meant to be subversive or mock anyone, but rather to send a message of love and inclusion. Paris 2024 spokeswoman Anne Descamps also expressed regret if anyone was offended by the performance.
The scene in question featured a blue-painted man, French actor and singer Philippe Katerine, interpreted as Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and revelry. While the official Olympic Games account explained the scene as a commentary on the absurdity of violence between humans, some viewers couldn’t help but see parallels to da Vinci’s iconic painting, “The Last Supper.”
Art historian Sasha Grishin noted the similarities in iconography, with the central figure wearing a headdress reminiscent of depictions of Jesus in High Renaissance-style Last Supper paintings. The debate continues over the intentions behind the scene and its possible references to religious imagery.
