Da Vinci’s Last Supper or a depiction of Greek god Dionysus? Why LGBTQ tableau in Paris has created a storm

The star-studded opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024 had a tableau featuring drag queens, a transgender model, and dancers, who were lined along a table with a semi-naked singer painted in blue. Here is why it became controversial.

Written by Vandana Kalra

New Delhi | Updated: August 1, 2024 11:25 AM IST

4 min read

The controversial tableau at the Olympic opening ceremony in Paris is seen in this post on X posted by the official Olympics account. (@theolympicgames/X)

The star-studded opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024 got embroiled in controversy due to a tableau, which was part of the event. It featured drag queens, a transgender model, and dancers, who were lined along a table with a semi-naked singer painted in blue.

What was the tableau?

The tableau came towards the end of the nearly four-hour-long opening ceremony in Paris. The performers included LGBTQ+ activist and French DJ Barbara Butch with a large silver headdress that resembled a halo. The singer painted in blue was identified as French entertainer Philippe Katerine, who emerged from a dinner plate surrounded by fruits and began to sing — the lyrics reportedly referred to his body parts.

Why was the act criticised?

The critics, including the Catholic church and the far right, have alleged that the tableau concerned was a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic “The Last Supper” — a mural that showcases Jesus Christ surrounded by his 12 apostles on the night before his crucifixion. They claimed that the performance was an insult to Christianity.

‘The Last Supper’.

The Conference of French bishops, in a statement, said, “This ceremony has unfortunately included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we very deeply deplore.”

Former US President Donald Trump also criticised the act, saying, “I am very open-minded. But I think what they did was a disgrace.”

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What did the organisers say?

Although the Paris Olympics organisers have apologised to people offended by the tableau, they have denied that it was an interpretation of da Vinci’s mural. Instead, it was inspired by Dionysus — the Greek god of festivities and wine — and depicted a pagan feast connected to the gods of Olympus, according to the organisers.

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The Olympics’ official X account referred to the scene as “The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings”.

The creative director of the opening ceremony, Thomas Jolly, said: “I did not intend to be subversive or to mock or shock…. In France we can love who we want, how we want… we can believe or not believe… we have a lot of rights and I wanted to convey those values throughout the ceremony.”

What are other interpretations of the performance?

According to several others, the scene could be a representation of the Festival of Dionysus, also known as the “Greater Dionysia”, which was a theatrical event in fifth-century Athens. Describing the festival, America’s Brown University website notes: “Every year in the spring (around our March) playwrights would compete to entertain the masses of Athenian citizenry. As many as 16,000 Athenian citizens (this excludes women, slaves, metoioi, and metics) would file into the amphitheatre to view the newest plays by Aeschylus, Euripides, Sophocles, Aristophanes, and others.”

Parallels are also being drawn with other painterly works, including, most prominently, Dutch artist Jan van Bijlert’s 1635-1640 painting “The Feast of the Gods,” depicting the Greek Olympian gods with others around a long table. At the centre is the Sun God Apollo, with a halo of light around his head.

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‘The Feast of the Gods’.

A translation of a post by Dutch historian Walther Schoonenberg on X, directly compares the scene with the Jan van Bijlert painting. It reads, “… heathen gods gathered on Mount Olympus for a feast. Sun god Apollo is recognisable by his halo, Bacchus (Dionysus) by the grapes, Neptune (Poseidon) by his trident, Diana (Artemis) by the moon, and Venus (Aphrodite) by Cupid.”

Vandana Kalra

Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More

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