Seth's 'Marianne Rêve' Mural Transforms French National Assembly Colonnade

On June 16, 2026, National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet inaugurated 'Marianne Rêve,' a monumental street art fresco by French artist Seth (Julien Malland) on the colonnade of the Palais Bourbon in Paris. The work reimagines Marianne, the symbol of the French Republic, as a young girl with a ponytail and Phrygian cap emerging from a tricolor vortex, visible to the public until September 28, 2026. The commission is part of a policy launched in 2022 to open the Assembly to contemporary French creation. Seth, known for his global street art since the 1990s, often depicts children from behind in colorful vortexes, inviting viewers to follow them. The artwork references a 2024 version shown at Galerie Itinérance in Paris during his solo exhibition 'Escape Game.' Braun-Pivet cited Victor Hugo ('Those who live are those who fight') and noted the tradition of artistic commissions at the Palais Bourbon, including Eugène Delacroix's 1838 library decoration, Hervé Di Rosa's 1991 'L'Histoire en peinture de l'Assemblée nationale,' and JonOne's 2015 'Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité.' The installation raises questions about the co-opting of protest art by institutions, especially amid recent child protection scandals like the Lyhanna affair. Seth's work, which leaves Marianne faceless to represent all identities, also evokes Hayao Miyazaki's Chihiro. The fresco is located at 126 Rue de l'Université, 75007 Paris.