Jesus among the drag queens

On Friday, the world watched as Paris put on an extravagant Opening Ceremony to kick off the 2024 Olympics. Showcasing a variety of French culture, the performances ranged from opera and ballet to heavy metal and hip hop. Reviews were mixed, running the gamut from calling the show wacky and kitschy to dazzling and spirited. Most agreed, though, the spectacle of the entire thing was impossible to peel away from.

Days later, people are still talking about the ceremony—but probably not for the reason that Thomas Jolly, artistic director of the event, had hoped.

Toward the end of the ceremony, the camera captured a group of about 18 people gathered together on one side of a fashion runway. At the center of the group was a woman in a blue dress and silver headdress, and flagging her on both sides was a diverse ensemble of performers, including drag queens from Drag Race France. Regardless of the intentions of the director, the imagery of the tableau—the halo-like silver headdress of the host, the long table, even the placement of the performers—evoked for many Christians Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper. The Olympic Committee has since acknowledged and expressed regret that people felt offended by the opening ceremony. They also insisted the tableau was inspired by The Feast of the Gods, a 17th century painting by Dutch artist Jan Harmensz van Biljert that hangs in the Magnin Museum in eastern France. But once a few prominent figures attacked the “Drag Last Supper,” the idea was canonized.