Intimate Portrait of a Sculptor : Colmar pays Homage to the Genius of Auguste Bartholdi

A native of the « Little Venice of Alsace », Auguste Bartholdi was in turn a sculptor, painter and also a photographer. During his life, this most famous of Colmarians created a galaxy of works, with monumental sculptures which recount in their own way the history of France. Eight of them adorn the streets or grand squares of the city, and the exhibition is worth the trip.

The Bartholdi Museum, a beacon of sculpture in Colmar

This exhibition will be held in the museum which has borne his name since 1922. For him, each model had to be reconciled to a dual process, at once patriotic and emancipatory. After his voyages to the United States, to London and to Egypt, he became one of the official statue-makers of the French Republic.

At the foot of the Citadel of Belfort, this 11 m-high, 22 m-wide lion is replicated at Place Denfert-Rochereau, in Paris. © DR

In the centre of Lyon, the Fontaine des Terreaux represents France irrigated by its four great rivers. © DR

An indefatigable worker, Auguste Bartholdi was one of the greatest sculptors of his age. © DR

Behind the scenes with the making of historic sculptures

Here, you will have the chance to discover his work, with the Making of the Statue of Liberty, the Lion of Belfort, the Fontaine des Terreaux in Lyon, Vercingetorix astride a horse, which stands in Clermont-Ferrand, and the bronze Christopher Columbus unveiled at the Universal Exposition of 1898, in Chicago, and then to stroll around the streets of Colmar, with a cultural and gourmet promenade.

In Colmar, it is impossible to miss the statues of the Great Supporters of the World and that of Lazarus von Schwendi holding some Tokay grapes. © DR