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The main work and display area for Othoniel’s sculptures sits in a giant hall under a cast-iron and glass roof.

Othoniel said he had long resisted becoming a member of the Académie, which he considered a stuffy state institution for old and safe artists, until some younger members changed his mind.

Long after the Petit Palais exhibition ends, Othoniel will leave a permanent mark on the building with a generous donation.

Othoniel decked himself out in Dior.

As the ceremony proceeded under the gilded dome of the Institut de France, Othoniel glittered like the colored glass bead sculptures for which he is known.