A totally new path and concept was developed within this age-old traditional workshop in order to contribute to revive stained glass.

This new path was initiated in 1957 when Brigitte SIMON, Jacques SIMON’s daughter, with her husband Charles MARQ, in command of the workshop since 1949, began involving contemporary artists in the creation of stained glass for religious buildings. So, they began by creating with the painter Jaques VILLON five large windows for Metz Cathedral.

Cathédrale de Metz - Jacques Villon

They had several things on the go at once : with their own creative works (Reims Cathedral, Tournus Abbey and Nantes Cathedral for Brigitte SIMON … Saint Rémi de Reims Abbey and Saint Jean Cathedral in Lyon for Charles MARQ) their collaboration with contemporary artists became a tradition and the studio went on to work with many prestigious artists such as Roger BISSIERE (Metz Cathedral) Serge POLIAKOFF, Georges BRAQUE (Maeght Foundation in Saint Paul de Vence), the Czech artist Joseph SIMA and the Portuguese artist Maria-Héléna VIEIRA DA SILVA (Saint Jacques Church in Reims) Raoul UBAC (Nevers Cathedral and Varengeville-sur-Mer Church in Normandy), Mordecaï ARDON (stained glass panel in the hall of Jerusalem university) Joan MIRO (Maeght Foundation and Saint Frambourg Church in Senlis), Leonard FOUJITA (Foujita Chapel in Reims) and of course Marc CHAGALL who entrusted the whole of his creative work to Charles MARQ and l’Atelier Simon MARQ from his second creation of stained-glasses in 1958. This collaboration went on until the death of the artist in 1985 :
stained glasses in Metz Cathedral, the synagogue of Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem (Israel), the hall of the United Nations building in New York (USA), Fraümunster Church in Zurich (Switzerland), Chichester Cathedral and Tudeley Church in England, the Biblical Content Museum in Nice, The Art Institut in Chicago (USA), Saint Stephan Church in Mayence (Germany), the Chapelle du Sailllant in Corrèze, the stained glasses of the chancel in Reims Cathedral …

Benoît MARQ with his wife Stéphanie and all team of l’Atelier Simon MARQ, is still perpetuating the familial tradition by creating stained glass windows for artists in France and foreign countries. So, he created with the American artist Diana SCHOR stained glasses of the Chapel and the Main Lobby in Stockton St Joseph’s Hospital (California, USA) in 1986 and those of the Chapel in Los Angels Norris’Hospital (California, USA) in 1990.

Chapelle de Tous-Les-Saints - Cécilia Bozzoli

In the same year, Benoît MARQ managed the stained glass creations for Tous les Saints Chapel in Verbier (Switzerland) with the Swiss artist Cécilia BOZZOLI. These works were ordered by Albina DU BOISROUVRAY and François-Xavier BAGNOUD Foundation.

In 1991-1992, Benoît MARQ and l’Atelier Simon MARQ created stained glasses based on Charles MARQ’s cartoons for the apse of the Chapel of the Cordeliers in Sarrebourg (Moselle) to go with the stained glass window for the Peace by Marc CHAGALL which decorated the whole of the western front.

Charles MARQ and Benoît MARQ went on their collaboration from 1992 to 2002, creating the art glasses for the nave and the western front of Mainz Saint Stephan Church in Germany.

Between 1991 and 1996, Art glass windows by the French artist François ROUAN for the low nave in Nevers Cathedral were entrusted to Benoît MARQ and l’Atelier Simon MARQ. In 1996, Benoît MARQ went on his collaboration with this artist for stained glasses of the church in Castelnau le Lez in the Hérault.

In 1997 and 1998, Benoît MARQ managed the last stained glass creations by the Portuguese artist Maria-Héléna VIEIRA DA SILVA for the North and South transept of Saint Jacques Church in Reims.

In the same period, the last stained glass creations by Raoul UBAC for the nave and the South transept of the church in Varengeville sur Mer were achieved.

In 1998, thanks to GAZ DE FRANCE Sponsorship, the creation of the whole stained glasses for the church in Cuiry Les Chaudardes, in the Aisnes, based on Elisabeth DE LA MAUVINIERE were untrusted to the workshop.

In 2000, the whole art stained glass creations of the church in Lucy sur Yonne were achieved by Benoît MARQ and the workshop with Luc SIMON.

In 2001, Benoît MARQ and l’Atelier Simon MARQ worked again with the French artist François ROUAN on creations of stained glasses for the chapel in Montrond in the Orne.

Eglise de Villenauxe La Grande - David Tremlett

In 2003, they went on their collaboration, creating stained glasses for the North and South bay-windows of the transept in Nevers Cathedral. The works were achieved in 2005.

In 2003, Benoît MARQ and Simon MARQ won with the English artist David TREMLETT the competitive examination for the creation of church windows for Villenauxe-La-Grande (France). From 2003 to 2005 they realized the 200 sq.m of stained-glass windows, which were inaugurated by the Minister of Culture and Communication in October 2005.

In 2006, the creation of stained glasses for the three bay-windows of the western front in Saint-Pierre en Martinique Cathedral was untrusted to l’Atelier Simon MARQ with the Martiniquais artist Victor ANICET. This work,inaugurated in December 2006, was sponsored by the Club Soroptimist de la Trinité-Saint Pierre de Martinique, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture.

In 2007, the workshop and Benoît MARQ filled an order from the Ministry of Culture and created the stained glasses by Luc SIMON for the transept of Le Chesne Church in the Ardennes in collaboration with the Champagne-Ardenne Region and the city.

In the same year, L’Atelier Simon MARQ worked also for foreign countries : he created stained glasses by the Swiss artist Hans ERNI for an ecumenical chapel in Zurich (Switzerland) and others of the artist Nigel INGRAM for the Peter Simmonds College in Winchester (England).

At the same time, Benoît MARQ has performed his own artistic work creating engraved and painted glasses, art-glass windows and screens.