Six Sculptural Masterpieces in the Streets of Paris
With nearly 1,000 works in public spaces, Paris is a veritable open-air museum where the greatest names in sculpture can be found.
By City of Paris
Directorate of Cultural Affairs
Intimately linked to the urban planning of the capital, the statues eventually become invisible to those who see them every day. Discover the history of six Parisian statues.
1. The Triumph of the Republic (Le Triomphe de la République)
It took sculptor Jules Dalou 20 years to finish this monument. At its definitive inauguration in 1899, attended by the President of the Republic, it attracted a huge crowd.
On the Chariot of the Nation, pulled by two lions and guided by the Genius of Liberty brandishing his torch, stand the Republic, light, and triumphant. On either side are Labor, in the guise of a blacksmith, and Justice, pushing the chariot.
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2. The Lion of Belfort (Le Lion de Belfort)
Auguste Bartholdi, creator of the famous Statue of Liberty, said of his work: "The monument represents a colossal lion, harried, driven back, and still terrible in its fury."
A menacing air
With a threatening look and its head held high, the half-laying animal is rising up on its forelegs, crushing an enemy arrow under its right paw. This lion commemorates the resistance of the city of Belfort during the war of 1870.
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3. Balzac
"A block of salt that has been left out in the rain" and "an unwrapped statue" were how newspapers described this statue when it was exhibited in 1898 at the National Society of Fine Arts (Salon de la Société nationale des Beaux-Arts).
Virulent criticism
The shock was so great and the criticism so virulent that the Society of People of Letters of France (Société des gens de lettres) turned to the sculptor Alexandre Falguière for a more suitable monument. Auguste Rodin died in 1917 without having seen his Balzac made into bronze.
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Inauguration 47 years later
It was not until 1938 that, in accordance with the wishes of the Rodin Balzac Committee (Comité du Balzac de Rodin), Paris accepted the donation of the statue so that it could be erected in a public square. On July 1, 1939, Balzac was finally inaugurated at the corner of the boulevards Raspail and Montparnasse.
4. Maria Deraismes
In this piece the Parisian sculptor Louis-Ernest Barrias endeavored to remain faithful to the truth—he drew inspiration from photographs for the facial features and the clothes, which made the rendering highly accurate.
Once there was a woman …
Maria Deraismes (1828–1894)—orator, feminist and philosopher—is known for having founded the Masonic Order of Human Rights (l’Ordre Maçonnique du Droit Humain), as well as the Society for the Improvement of a Women's Lot and the Vindication of their Rights.
5. Monument to Gavarni (Monument à Gavarni)
This monument, by the sculptor Denys Puech, pays tribute to the illustrator Paul Gavarni (1804–1866) who lived in this part of Paris.
Carnival sketch artist
Gavarni, famous for his everyday scenes in which he caricatured human and bourgeois behavior, liked to sketch the Parisian people. His monument reminds us that he specialized in illustrating the Paris Carnival (Carnaval de Paris).
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6. The Montmartroise
Presented at the 1906 Salon, where it was met with great success, this piece by the sculptor Théophile Camel was acquired by the city of Paris and unveiled in the Square Carpeaux in 1907.
Descendant of the 19th century working-class woman
This elegant young woman is one of the anonymous figures of working-class Paris from the beginning of the 20th century. She represents the starry-eyed girl (une midinette)—textile worker, clothes washer, seamstress, or milliner—often seen in the northern suburbs of Paris and the Tuileries Gardens.
Directorate of Cultural Affairs
