More than 40,000 people have signed a petition to stop the French government from lending the Bayeux tapestry to Britain because the medieval artwork is deemed too fragile, reports The Times.
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.
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.
Read more of this report from The Times.