Art is supposed to make you feel something. Sometimes, that feeling is a massive, global headache. When the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony kicked off, nobody expected a specific tableau on a bridge over the Seine to spark a multi-week firestorm involving the Vatican, tech billionaires, and drag queens. It looked familiar. Too familiar, some said.
People immediately started shouting about Leonardo da Vinci.
The image of several drag performers, a transgender model, and a young dancer lined up behind a long table seemed, to many, like a direct parody of The Last Supper. But the artistic director, Thomas Jolly, had a different story. He claimed he wasn't even thinking about Jesus. He was thinking about Dionysus. You know, the Greek god of wine and festivities. Hence the blue guy on the plate.
The Faces Behind the Chosen Last Supper Cast
The performers involved weren't just random extras. They are icons of the French underground scene. The woman at the center, wearing a silver halo-like headpiece, was Barbara Butch. She’s a well-known DJ and LGBTQ+ activist. Honestly, she spent the days following the ceremony dealing with a disgusting amount of online harassment, which led her to file several formal legal complaints in France.
Beside her were some heavy hitters from Drag Race France. Paloma, the season one winner, was there. So was Piche, a fan favorite who made history as a bearded drag queen on the show. Hugo Bardin (Paloma) later explained that the goal was never to mock religion but to celebrate French "liberté."
The "blue man" who arrived on a giant platter was Philippe Katerine. He’s a singer, actor, and all-around eccentric in French pop culture. He was portraying Dionysus, the father of Sequana—the goddess of the River Seine. Katerine later joked that if there were no controversy, it wouldn't be very "French," would it?
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It’s a weird mix. You have high-fashion models like Raya Martigny standing alongside drag royalty. The diversity was the point. France wanted to show it wasn't just old stone buildings and berets; it’s a living, breathing, queer, and messy republic.
Was it Actually Da Vinci or Something Else?
The debate mostly boils down to what you see when you look at a table. To a Christian audience, a long table with a central figure in a crown screams "Eucharist." To an art historian, it looks like The Feast of the Gods by Jan van Bijlert.
Jan van Bijlert was a Dutch painter from the 17th century. His work, which hangs in the Musée Magnin in Dijon, features the gods of Olympus gathered for a banquet. Apollo is in the center with a halo of light. Dionysus is in the foreground. If you look at the staging of the Olympic ceremony, the positioning of Katerine’s Dionysus matches Bijlert’s painting almost perfectly.
Jolly was adamant. "You’ll never find in my work any desire to mock or denigrate anyone," he told reporters. He wanted a "pagan party."
But let’s be real. Art doesn't exist in a vacuum. Even if Jolly didn't intend to copy Da Vinci, the visual language of "important people at a long table" is so dominated by The Last Supper that it’s almost impossible for an audience not to make that connection. It’s like wearing a red cape and blue tights and being surprised when people ask where your "S" is.
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The Backlash and the Apology (That Wasn't Really an Apology)
The reaction was swift. The French Bishops’ Conference released a statement lamenting "scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity." Elon Musk called it "extremely disrespectful." High-profile sponsors even pulled their advertising.
The Olympic organizing committee eventually stepped in. Anne Descamps, the spokesperson, said there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. She said they were sorry if people took offense. It was a classic "we’re sorry you feel that way" move.
The cast felt the brunt of it. Piche argued that the Last Supper has been parodied a thousand times in pop culture—from The Simpsons to The Sopranos—and nobody blinked. Why was this different? Probably because it was on the world's biggest stage. Also, because drag is currently a massive political lightning rod.
Why the Context of Paris Matters
To understand the chosen last supper cast, you have to understand the French concept of laïcité. It’s their version of secularism, but it’s way more aggressive than what you see in the US or UK. In France, the public square is meant to be totally neutral. Satire is basically a national sport. Think Charlie Hebdo.
The ceremony was a journey through French history—the good, the bad, and the headless. We saw a decapitated Marie Antoinette singing opera. We saw a three-way romance in a library. By the time we got to the bridge, the show was already leaning hard into the "provocative" lane.
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The performers weren't trying to be "sacrilegious" in their own minds. They were trying to be "republican." They were celebrating the fact that in modern France, everyone has a seat at the table. Even the DJ in the halo. Even the blue guy on the plate.
What We Learned From the Seine
The whole ordeal proved that global communication is harder than it looks. A reference that makes perfect sense to a French art student in a café might look like a direct attack to a churchgoer in Manila or Mississippi.
The cast members have mostly moved on, though the legal battles over online bullying continue. Barbara Butch has become a symbol of resilience for the European LGBTQ+ community. Philippe Katerine is still being weirdly charming in interviews.
If you're ever tasked with designing a ceremony for 4 billion people, maybe skip the long tables. Or, if you use them, maybe don't put a halo on anyone unless you want a month of 24-hour news cycles dedicated to your choice of headwear.
Actionable Takeaways for Navigating Modern Culture
- Check the Artistic Roots: If a visual seems controversial, look for the "hidden" art history. Often, what looks like a parody of one thing is a tribute to another, older work (like the Feast of the Gods).
- Understand Local Context: French culture prizes "blasphemy" as a form of free speech. Recognizing this helps de-escalate the feeling of a personal attack.
- Support the Performers: Regardless of your take on the art, the cast members involved in these events often face disproportionate harassment. Distinguish between criticizing an artistic choice and attacking an individual's right to exist.
- Analyze the Medium: The "Last Supper" composition is a universal visual trope used in advertising and film. Compare the 2024 ceremony to other pop culture uses to see if the outrage is consistent or selective.
- Wait for the Director's Note: Before jumping to conclusions about intent, read the official statements from the creative team. Intent doesn't negate impact, but it provides necessary nuance for a fair discussion.