French right try to unpick Macron's loan of Bayeux Tapestry to UK
The petition, organised by Didier Rykner, an outspoken art historian who runs the website La Tribune de l'Art, claims that President Macron has threatened the existence of the 11th-century chronicle of the Norman invasion by agreeing in July to the loan.
'President Macron has once again taken a catastrophic decision for our heritage, deciding alone, against the advice of conservators and restorers who know the Bayeux tapestry,' the petition said.
From left: Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister, Brigitte Macron, the wife of President Macron, Macron and Rachida Dati, France's culture minister, in July, with the Lewis chessmen that will be loaned to France in return for the tapestry
LUDOVIC MARIN/REUTERS
Macron originally offered the loan in 2018. The petition reflects misgivings in parts of the cultural world over his decision and a desire to change the minds of the Bayeux museum in Normandy, home to the 70m-long tapestry. An array of experts had reported then that the Norman artefact, which is an embroidery rather than a tapestry, was far too worn out to travel.
Antoine Verney, chief curator at Bayeux, said in 2018 that it was in such poor condition that he 'could not conceive' of it going anywhere. In 2020, an inspection found about 24,200 stains and 10,000 holes.
With Macron's team pressing for agreement, the Bayeux museum changed its tone, saying further studies had shown the tapestry could be transported safely under strict conditions. The partnership with the British Museum, where the tapestry is to be displayed in a likely blockbuster exhibition from September 2026, would 'support and nurture' the project for a new Bayeux museum, it said.
Rachida Dati, the culture minister, helped pave the way for the loan in January when she announced €13 million of subsidies for the new museum and €2 million to help in the restoration of the tapestry, which is due to return to France in 2027.
The tapestry depicts the Anglo-Saxon King Harold being killed by an arrow the eye
ALAMY
Right-wing politicians have joined Rykner's campaign against the loan. A handful of protestors from the Patriots party, led by Florian Philippot, a former deputy leader of Marine Le Pen's National Rally, have demonstrated on weekends this summer in Bayeux. 'Beyond politics, we are Normans first of all. The government is attacking a French treasure. It's a snub to the experts,' Christine Renouf, a member of the Bayeux Patriots group, said.
Rykner's petition quotes an expert involved with the tapestry saying: 'By ignoring our advice, they are discrediting our profession of restoration, which is dedicated to safeguarding the heritage.
The tapestry, sewn in England, has been moved twice in recent centuries — by Napoleon Bonaparte and then by the Nazis during their occupation of France in 1940.
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