I don’t honestly know much about the French writer, artist and film director Jean Cocteau. But I have read that he was an influential figure in the Paris avant-garde scene in the 1920’s, that he was mates with Picasso, had a row with Marcel Proust over a coat, and made friend’s with Charlie Chaplin on a luxury ocean liner even though neither of them could speak each other’s language. He sounds quite cool, though he’s also described as being right-wing and socially elitist, which is er less attractive. I found out all this after seeing this video about a mural he made for the church of Notre Dame de France in Leicester Square. I hadn’t heard of the church, which is next to the Prince Charles Cinema (yup Sing-along-a Sound of Music), though I’m not alone in that as critic Peter Aspden highlights on the FT. It was restored in the last few years to the tune of £25,000 after being vandalised by a visitor. Here’s the artist at work on Mary Magdalene.

The mural now, which has been described as Pro-Magdalene (before you Dan Brown).

And the vandal’s work.

The church was bombed in the war, then rebuilt in the 1950’s, which is when the French Ambassador in London asked Cocteau to make his mural. Apparently scaffolding had to be erected during the process to keep journalists and fans from distracting him at work, so I guess it’s amazing that it’s not so loudly appreciated now.

I might pop in the next time I’m en route to Tokyo Diner. Meantime, I do recommend you watch the video which set me off on this.