Benoît Constensoux, a spiritual perspective on art
Art is not just a technical matter; it has a soul. This is what Benoît Constensoux, an art historian with a passion for the Holy Land and co-curator of our upcoming exhibition at the Frick Collection in New York, reveals to us.
Benoît Constensoux, can you tell us about your career path? How did you become an art historian and what is your connection to the Kugel Gallery?
After attending the École du Louvre, studying law, and completing an internship in New York, I have now been working at the Kugel Gallery in Paris for 24 years. Art history combines my passion for history, cultures, and aesthetics. It allows for a better understanding of human diversity.
What is your special connection to Jerusalem and the Holy Land?
After twenty years of scouting, I wanted to live my adult life in harmony with the spirituality I had discovered there. A friend introduced me to the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, and I found a real connection there. This led me to discover the Holy Land, to which I have become deeply attached.
It is now an honor to be able to contribute to the Terra Sancta Museum, which, in addition to nourishing my faith, allows me to put my professional skills at the service of the Holy Land and its Christians. It allows me, through art, to rediscover the beauty of the rites of the Catholic Church, particularly the consecration of the Eucharist, where Paradise literally opens on the altar.
You are deeply involved in the museum project. How long have you been involved and what is your role? What projects are you working on?
I joined the team preparing the 2013 Versailles exhibition very early on. Thanks to my knowledge of goldsmithing in different European countries and heraldry, I was able to study works from different periods, including Germanic and Italian pieces. This expertise later proved useful for indexing the works in the Terra Sancta Museum database.
I was asked to sit on the Terra Sancta Museum’s Scientific Committee in 2016. Since then, I have contributed to the catalogs for exhibitions in Lisbon, Santiago de Compostela, Florence, and soon New York.
Is there a piece in the museum’s collection that particularly strikes you and moves you? Why?
Many pieces in the collection move me deeply. Is there another collection in the world that brings together such masterpieces, donated to the places where they are kept?
As a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre, I am particularly moved by the sword known as “Godfrey of Bouillon’s sword.” It is with this sword that the Custodes of the Holy Land have knighted generations of knights. At the end of their stay in Jerusalem, the knights of centuries past would lock themselves in the basilica to spend the night in prayer. They would confess and then attend Mass in the Edicule of the Resurrection, where they would then be “armed” as knights. This sword therefore carries a strong symbolic and historical significance.
It survived the quarrels that took place between Christian communities and was protected with the utmost care by Muslims who, in Islamic lands, forbade Christians from possessing weapons. It is quite incredible that it has survived the centuries. The silver tray offered by the Grand Duke of Tuscany also touches me deeply. It is a work of great finesse, full of historical significance.
Have you ever participated in exhibitions? Which ones? What is your role in the Frick Collection exhibition in New York?
I have participated in numerous exhibitions at the Kugel Gallery. Usually, my role is limited to writing notes and introductions, as I did for the Terra Sancta Museum exhibition in Versailles. For the first time, I was asked to be co-curator for the exhibition « To the Holy Sepulcher: Treasures from the Terra Sancta Museum » held at the Frick Collection in New York in September 2025.
Working with the director of the New York museum and curator of the exhibition, Xavier Salomon, my role involves selecting the works, developing the narrative around them, and writing the labels and captions. It also involves coordinating the various contributors, supervising the arrival of the works, ensuring they are displayed in optimal conservation conditions, and checking the lighting.
This obviously does not call into question my commitment to the Kugel Gallery, but it is not simply a temporary diversion either. I consider my participation in the project, as well as the trust placed in me, to be a real honor. The works are remarkable both for their significance and history, and for their aesthetic quality. Every moment spent contributing to the museum is a source of renewed joy for me.
The Terra Sancta Museum is pleased to present its first-ever exhibition across the Atlantic: « To the Holy Sepulcher: Treasures from the Terra Sancta Museum », which will be held at the Frick Collection in New York from October 1, 2025, to January 5, 2026. Stay tuned: all the details about this wonderful fall event will be revealed soon.
