Hidden Paintings & Major Restoration at Paris’s Historic Cirque d’Hiver
For over 170 years, the Cirque d’Hiver in Paris has been a stage for breathtaking performances. Now, the historic circus is undergoing a remarkable transformation, one that isn’t happening under the big top, but behind it. A stunning discovery – hidden painted canvas panels dating back to the circus’s early years – has triggered a full-scale restoration project, aiming to return the world’s oldest circus to its original 19th-century glory.
The Cirque d’Hiver’s history is steeped in spectacle. In , the building hosted Jules Léotard, the gymnast who lent his name to the now-ubiquitous one-piece athletic garment, as he captivated audiences with daring trapeze acts performed without a safety net. Half a century later, the circus served as the unlikely setting for a wedding, when Rosa Van Been married animal trainer Joseph Bouglione inside the lion cage. Even Hollywood took notice, with scenes from the film Trapeze, starring Gina Lollobrigida, Tony Curtis, and Burt Lancaster, shot within its distinctive walls.
But the recent revelation isn’t about a single performance or event; it’s about uncovering a lost layer of the circus’s artistic heritage. For over 70 years, a series of large-scale painted canvas panels lay concealed, hidden from view. Their rediscovery has prompted a comprehensive restoration, funded in part by the French culture ministry, that goes far beyond simply replacing seats.
Louis-Sampion Bouglione, whose family has owned the Cirque d’Hiver since , expressed his delight at the find. “It’s marvellous to see them and an critical part of our history,” he said. “We knew they once existed as my father remembers seeing them, and we always hoped to be able to rediscover them one day. But we were afraid what condition they would be in or even if they were still there.” The panels represent a tangible link to the circus’s origins, a period Bouglione admits he often pondered whereas researching the building’s past.
Bouglione, who also serves as the circus’s co-director and historian, has spent years immersed in the Cirque d’Hiver’s archives. He described often losing sleep wondering what the building looked like when it was officially opened by Napoléon III on . The uncovering of the panels is, in many ways, a realization of that long-held curiosity.
So far, only two of the panels have been revealed, but the project aims to uncover them all. “What’s really exciting and important is it’s one of the few legacies of the circus from that era in painting,” Bouglione explained. The initial discovery was spurred by a more ambitious renovation plan proposed by architect Stéphane Millet, who is also currently working on the Opéra Garnier.
Millet, recognizing the historical significance of the building, convinced the Bouglione family to expand the scope of the project beyond simply replacing the seating. “One of my tasks is to raise awareness of the importance of heritage and to seek government assistance for projects, so I convinced the family to go a little further than their initial ambitions,” Millet said. “What started with seats has become a global project that includes everything; a renovation from bottom to top. When you have heritage like this you have to showcase it.”
The Cirque d’Hiver, originally known as the Cirque Napoléon, was constructed in a remarkably swift eight months under the direction of architect Jacques Hittorff, who also designed the Gare du Nord railway station. The original structure was a polygonal building with a diameter of 42 meters, featuring 40 stained-glass windows and a wooden roof designed to mimic a traditional circus tent, complete with faux poles and gold-painted mouldings resembling ropes and ties.
The rediscovered paintings, each measuring 6 meters wide and almost 2 meters high, depict scenes of warriors on horseback and celebrate the equestrian arts. They were created by Nicolas Gosse and Félix-Joseph Barrias, both highly regarded painters of the time, and mirror the bas-relief panels on the building’s exterior, which were renovated in .
The circus has evolved over the years. Wild animal performances, a staple for much of its history, were discontinued in . But, the Cirque d’Hiver remains a beloved Parisian institution, drawing crowds with its winter spectacular, which features a nine-musician orchestra, and serving as a venue for private events and political rallies.
The restoration, expected to take four years, will begin in July with the careful removal of the panels for restoration. They were covered with blue-painted wooden boards in the 1950s, having been dulled by smoke from the original oil lamps and further damaged by leaking windows and layers of subsequent decoration. Millet acknowledged the fragility of the canvas but expressed optimism about the quality of the artwork. “The canvas is very fragile but from what we have seen, it is wonderful work. That the panels have survived at all is testament to the quality of the painting.”
For the Bouglione family, the circus is more than just a business; it’s a deeply personal legacy. The passing of Rosa Bouglione in at the age of 107 left behind a family of 55 descendants, many of whom remain actively involved in the Cirque d’Hiver. Louis-Sampion Bouglione emphasized the family’s commitment to the circus’s continued success. “It’s family and everyone is involved in one way or another, even if just with small things. It’s work and we have found a way to make sure both succeed,” he said.
Balancing the ongoing performances with the extensive renovations will be a challenge, but Bouglione is confident they can manage. “We will do the work during what we call the dead season,” he said. “It will take longer but One can’t close down. It’s a business and so it has to work. Besides, people are passionate about the circus. They approach when they’re children, then come with their own children and grandchildren. It’s a tradition.” The rediscovery of these hidden artworks is not just a restoration of paint and canvas, but a restoration of memory, ensuring that the Cirque d’Hiver’s rich history continues to inspire for generations to come.