PARIS.- A monumental canvas designed by artist Pierre Delavie masks the Pavillon Dufour's roof restoration.

The operation sees the Palace of Versailles team up once more with Maison Dior, which in so doing contributes to heritage preservation.

The links between Versailles and Dior go back to the foundation of the fashion house, in 1947. Seeking to restore some of France's glory after the dark years of war, Christian Dior quite naturally found in Versailles - its architecture and the great parties of the 18th century, its wealth of details and the skilled craftsmanship employed in its construction - a major reference and a source of inspiration for his work. His emblematic designs had names like Trianon and Versailles, or were photographed by the world's top photographers in the Palace's Cour d'Honneur. An influence that can still be found in the spirit of Dior and in the creations of Raf Simons, the creative director of its womenswear collections, who in his latest haute couture show presented a modern take on Marie-Antoinette.

This shared history continues to be written in style, in a magical trompe-l'oeil showing photographs of Dior's past and contemporary designs in a setting of stone and greenery, like a window of the Royal Court looking onto the gardens, and more particularly the Bosquet de la Colonnade, designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart in 1685.

Pierre Delavie previously designed a monumental canvas in 2011, sponsored by Nexans, which was hung from the other side of the Cour Royale during the restoration of the roof and façades of the central body of the Palace.

The manufacture and installation of this monumental canvas has also received support from JCDecaux and Barrisol, who chose to donate their expertise to the Palace.

- JCDecaux, the world's no 1 outdoor advertising company, is supervising and coordinating the installation and manufacture of the tarpaulin, as well as the fitting and maintenance of the lighting. It is also funding the hanging and taking down of the tarpaulin.

- Barrisol, specialists in large-scale tensile fabric structures, donated the fabric and printed the work.