Hyphens - Hervé Mathieu-Bachelot and André Ropion
Hervé Mathieu-Bachelot (1945-2000) with André Ropion, Traits d'union [Hyphens], stained glass, 1979
A wall of light in an underground den. The artistic audacity of this idea is obvious to passers-by at the Grande Arche de La Défense RER station. They discover a range of colours and light covering a large stained-glass window 18 metres long and 4 metres high. From bluish white to cobalt blue, overseas and turquoise, the shapes diffuse their colour waves in an astonishing symphony.
The artwork is located at the end of the platform, at the head of the train when the destination is Paris. The other ends of the platforms are also occupied by two other artworks : Bas-relief en cuivre and Boréale.
A word about the artist
For this delicate work, Hervé Mathieu-Bachelot, accustomed to underground creations, combined his talent with the know-how of André Ropion, a Parisian craftsman who has lived in the Loir et Cher region since 1990 and is an expert in the restoration and creation of stained glass and mosaics. In particular, he created a set of stained glass windows for the Basilica of Paray-le-Monial in 1984.
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