Paris, France — It is one of the mythical roadways in Paris, the Quai de Montebello running along the Left Bank of the Seine and which offers unparalleled views of Notre-Dame and its radiating chapel, and it is where Parisians and others have gathered today to watch the evening unfold. For this quai offers perhaps the finest views of the mighty Gothic cathedral that is opening its doors today after a glorious five-year restoration following the tragic fire that gripped the world. The area is often filled with artists artistically rendering their own renditions of the cathedral on canvas and other mediums. And located right on the Quai de Montebello, at number 13, is one of the most celebrated and best known boutiques in Paris devoted to suppyling artists with the finest in pioneering art materials.

The house of F. Charbonnel was founded in 1862 by François Charbonnel who, using principles founded in chemistry created art materials for intaglio print making, etched engravings and lithographic prints attracting the likes of Pissaro, Renoir, Degas, Manet, Lautrec and Signac to this store on 13 Quai de Montebello, this store to which artists gravitate to this day under the quiet watch of Notre-Dame. And so in good-neighbourly fashion, the Charbonnel boutique is paying tribute to the resounding re-opening of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame with interpretations of Notre-Dame by two contemporary artists: Corinne Lepeytre, an engraver, and street artist Jérôme Rasto who have been given Carte Blanche by Charbonnel’s sister house of Lefranc Bourgeois, the great creator of colours and pigments since 1720.

Corinne Lepeytre’s series. Notre-Dame on Zinc, is an engaging series of works depicting the cathedral at times flanked by the work cranes, at times not, and is a shining example of the technique of aquatint, an intaglio printmaking used in conjunction with etchings. Meanwhile Jérôme Rasto painted the windows of the Charbonnel boutique. « To work on the shop windows of Charbonnel offered an opportunity to dialogue with the stained glass of Notre-Dame. The idea was to pay tribute to those who worked on her (the cathedral) and continue to work on her, » explained the artist. His works on the facade of Charbonnel reflect the signs on the Zodiac, the Virgin Mary and the myriad craftsmen who originally crafted the cathedral, all themes of the cathedral’s stained glass.

The Lefranc Bourgeois, Charbonnel and Conté Paris (founded in 1795 and which perfected pencil lead, drawing pencils and pastels) family of brands are part of the house of Colart which provides a wide range of art materials to a wide range of artists. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. Charbonnel, 13 QUai de Montebello, 75005, Paris. Tel: + 33 (0)1 44 07 26 88
https://www.charbonnelshop.fr/fr/