Bouroullec at Versailles

The 12-m-high chandelier created by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec with Swarovski at the Palace of Versailles is suspended in loops from the ceiling like a luminous transparent chain.

Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec won a competition launched in 2011 by the Public Administration of the Palace, Museum and State Property Department of Versailles to create a permanent mobile artwork to adorn and illuminate the big Gabriel Staircase at the main entrance of the palace.

The designers created a majestic chandelier made of Swarovski crystal whose sweeping grace and modern lines integrate harmoniously with the historically charged location. The piece, which is over 12 metres high, is suspended in loops from the ceiling like a luminous transparent chain. It comprises three interlacing strands, each made of hundreds of Swarovski crystals.

To create the chandelier, the designers chose crystal, the material traditionally used in the making of chandeliers for ceremonial rooms, in order to establish a strong link between the past and the present. Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec’s creation is a delicate yet complex alliance of crystal and innovative lighting.

The Gabriel Staircase, a monumental space conceived by Ange-Jacques Gabriel in 1772, was never completed. Work resumed in the 1980s, but the finished staircase lacked a focal point.

The installation of the Gabriel Chandelier enrich these historic surroundings, emphasizing the entrance to the Grand Apartments whilst preserving the unique nature of the space.