“Reconstituer,” (rebuild) is an art installation that consists of 700 sculptures (!) surrounding Place Royale, an already beautiful square in the city of Nantes, France. The artist, Stéphane Vigny, discovered that the facades making up Place Royale were “decoration,” as all of the buildings were completely destroyed during the 1943 bombings and rebuilt to be identical after World War II. He takes false décor one step further by presenting a collection of sculptures that are copies of copies, made of reconstituted stone, which surround the monumental fountain on Place Royale. The sculptures are reproductions of Greek gods & goddesses, scenes from classical paintings, our own statue of Liberty and numerous others.
I could tell that observers felt wonderment at first sight of this artwork. But in addition to observing it from afar, we could wander among the statuary and observe it up close. It was like stepping into the artist’s masterpiece and becoming a part of it.
Approaching Place Royale from a small side street in the City Center
700 sculptures surrounding the Place Royale fountain
The fountain at Place Royale
A closer look at the fountain
he top figure is Amphitrite, Greek goddess of the sea and wife of Poseidon, holding the trident of Neptune. The other central figure is a woman representing the Loire River, pouring water through two Greek jars.
Sculptures surrounding the fountain
A wide view of the square, with the church spire of Saint Nicholas Basilica on the left
The spire and fountain
A central aisle of sculptures
A view to the right of the fountain
The discus thrower
An aisle of sculptures
Atlas on the right & minstrels on the left
Boy and girl under an Umbrella
Venus with Apple (given her by Paris as the most beautiful goddess), rights belonging to Thorvaldsen’s Museum in Denmark
Bacchus, the Roman god of wine
"Discobolus," a youthful Greek athlete throwing a discus
Atlas, the Titan who carried the world on his shoulders, as punishment for warring against the Olympian gods
"Winged Victory of Samothrace," found in the Louvre museum.
She is a sculpture of Nike, Greek goddess of victory. She stood on the prow of a ship off the coast of the island of Samothrace.
An aisle of sculptures
Atlas on the right & minstrels on the left
Boy and girl under an Umbrella
Venus with Apple (given her by Paris as the most beautiful goddess), rights belonging to Thorvaldsen’s Museum in Denmark
Bacchus, the Roman god of wine
"Discobolus," a youthful Greek athlete throwing a discus
Atlas, the Titan who carried the world on his shoulders, as punishment for warring against the Olympian gods
"Winged Victory of Samothrace," found in the Louvre museum.
She is a sculpture of Nike, Greek goddess of victory. She stood on the prow of a ship off the coast of the island of Samothrace.
Maiden and cherub
Woman with Jug
Young David, slayer of the giant Goliath. The original is in Florence, Italy.
The Statue of Liberty, found on Liberty Island in New York harbor
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