Israeli flag removed from Paris art display after red paint vandalism

An installation featuring flags of 195 countries was displayed at Place de la Bastille for Paris Design Week, with each flag crafted from recycled garments. In the night between Monday and Tuesday, the Israeli flag on a bamboo pole was doused in red paint. The artists, in consultation with the Mairie de Paris and the Centre des monuments nationaux, opted to remove the flag rather than replace it, arguing that a new flag would distort the piece’s concept of reusing clothing.

An attached poster labeled the act as vandalism and noted the flag could not be reinstated before the exhibit ends on Sunday. Israel’s embassy in France condemned the removal as a grave decision and questioned the city’s hostility toward the flag. Designer Jean-Sébastien Blanc emphasized that each flag, including the Israeli one, was a singular work requiring four hours of labor and could not be duplicated without compromising its integrity.