The statue of Louis XVI on its column, in Nantes.
AFP / © YANNICK AND GAL/ ONLYFRANCE.FR
The statue of Louis XVI, located in the heart of Nantes, will soon disappear from the landscape. On June 28, the emblematic monument, perched at the top of a Place Maréchal-Foch column, will be camouflaged by a giant contemporary art work. This particular project takes place in the new edition of the cultural event of the trip, organized among others by the town hall of Nantes. The city, led by socialist mayor Johanna Rolland, is used to controversies, whether about insecurity, or the development of the city.
-Ideological dimension
It is the Colombian visual artist Ivan Argote who will hide the statue of King Louis XVI. By a skillful game of mirrors, the 19th century monument will become invisible to the public. More than art, this installation which must be ephemeral has an assumed ideological dimension. “By this gesture, the Colombian artist invites to re -examine the presence of monarchical symbols in public space”explains, in a press release, the travel society in Nantes. Called “The strange summer”, the next edition of the trip to Nantes will be held from June 28 to August 31, during which the statue of Louis XVI will therefore be invisible.
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This column did not always carry a statue: it was not until August 1823 that the King of France is positioned at the top of the monument. When Napoleon Bonaparte’s arrival, it was an imperial eagle overlooking the city.
