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This permanent work was commissioned by the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage and created by American artist Alison Saar. A fitting way to celebrate Olympic values and strengthen ties with Los Angeles, the future host city!
The Paris 2024 Games haven't even begun yet, but bronze is already being celebrated. We're not talking about a medal synonymous with third place, but a sculpture with seven bronze elements created by American visual artist Alison Saar. The sculpture was inaugurated on Olympic Day, Sunday June 23, in the Jardin Charles Aznavour (8th arrondissement).
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Made in France
The piece is made of 7 bronze elements, manufactured in France. The Olympic rings are set within the center of a circular area with a diameter of approximately 5.40 meters, embedded into the surface. On the surface are various sculptures, including a life-size human figure sitting on a stone.
In her left hand, she holds the Olympic flame, and in her right, olive branches symbolizing peace and victory. Scattered around the circular surface are a child's chair, a stool, a curule seat (symbol of ancient Rome), another chair, a Chinese stool and an African stool.
Alison Saar poses next to the Olympic sculpture in the Aznavour garden
Credit
Fred Mauviel / Ville de Paris
A work of art donated to the City
Valued at €450,000, the piece was commissioned by the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage as a gift to the city. However, the City was responsible for the foundations, the concrete floor and its perimeter, the production of the stone Olympic rings and the imprint.
American artist Alison Saar created this work.
Credit
Tom Leeser. Image courtesy of the artist
An artistic legacy of the Paris 2024 Games
This work celebrates the Olympic values of universality and inclusion, notably through the diversity of the seven bronze elements, which represent so many cultures and individuals. It was created by Alison Saar, an artist known for her installations exploring themes such as gender, race, humanity and heritage.
The choice of an American artist is by no means insignificant: it is part of a story that began in 2020 with the invitation to French artist Xavier Veilhan to design a permanent work for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The aim is to forge links between the host cities, symbolically passing on the cultural legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games through the work of visual artists.
Unveiled in the presence of Tony Estanguet, President of the Games Organizing Committee, and the artist Alison Saar, this sculpture is one of the legacies of the Paris 2024 Games, as it enables the public space to be enhanced with a new artwork that all Parisians can freely admire in the recently inaugurated Charles Aznavour Garden, located at the base of the Champs-Élysées.
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