The Destruction of Bronze Statues in the Second World War

Aurillac

In Cantal, resistance organizations dismantled and hid three bronze statues before their scheduled removal. Le Discobole (above) was taken from its pedestal the night of August 25–26, 1943. The statue, a replica of the Borghese gladiator inaugurated in 1918 in Aurillac, was removed and hidden in a barn by a local resistance network. The next morning, the police found a note: “I don’t want to go to Germany! I’ve joined the Maquis!” Le Discobole was re-inaugurated on October 21, 1944, with a day of sporting events and festivities organized in its honor.

Boisset

The bust of the Auvergnat poet Brayat, inaugurated in Boisset in 1907, was also hidden on the eve of its scheduled confiscation. The bust was taken from its pedestal on the night of September 10–11, 1943 and buried in a nearby garden. It emerged from hiding in 1944.

Salers

This monument to the agronomist Tyssandier d'Escous disappeared from Salers on the night of September 21–22, 1943. The police reported:

"… during the night the bust of Tyssandier d’Escous was removed…. The bust, raised by public subscription in 1913, … was a testimony to the gratitude of the townspeople. …There was no damage to the base, but at the foot of the monument was a sign, wet from the rain,… bearing the following message in black ink: 'I will return when the Boches are gone.' We removed the sign. The night of September 21–22 there was a lot of rain, which seems to have removed any trace of the thieves on the ground. There are no clues to how the bust was removed. No one living in the vicinity heard any noise during the night…. This event has caused no unrest among the population who see this act as serving to protect the statue from the metal recovery programme."[1]

[1] Police Report, 22 September 1943. Archives départementales de Cantal, 1182 W 5.

Chambéry

The removal of La Savoyarde (known popularly in Chambéry as La Sasson), provoked a storm of protest. The monument was a commemoration of the annexation of Savoie to France during the Revolutionary Wars, but as Chambéry’s municipal council protested in a letter to the national government, the statue’s symbolism was broader: “[La Savoyarde] represented everything that we have that is noble, all that is great and generous that stems from our soil. She was a symbol, the expression of us all, young and old.”[1]

After the monument's removal on April 22, 1942, protesters regularly gathered around the empty pedestal, left flowers where the statue once stood, sang La Marseillaise, and shouted “Vive la Savoie Française!” After the war, La Savoyarde was discovered in Germany and returned to Chambéry. It was reinaugurated in April 1982.[2]

[1] Chambéry Municipal Council to Pierre Laval, 26 August 1942. Archives nationales de France, F 21 7074.

[2] Elizabeth Campbell Karlsgodt, Defending National Treasures: French Art and Heritage Under Vichy (Stanford University Press, 2011), 165, 173-180.

Montbard

Residents of Montbard signed a petition to save their statue of Comte Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon, inaugurated in 1865: "The 1300 households of Montbard [are] deeply aggrieved by the decision taken to remove the statue of the great thinker and compatriot Buffon,… For Montbard this statue is a tangible memory of a glory that is a great comfort and encouragement in these difficult times. It is an indispensable link with our past, a necessary moral bond, but also a reminder of our duty and our responsibility…. Of the four statues that Montbard once possessed, it has sacrificed three, including that of Daubenton, Buffon’s illustrious collaborator and contemporary. Given the significance of this reminder of our glorious past, and given the fact that our commune has already made a great contribution, we hope that our request will be granted."[1] When the town's request was denied, the monument was dismantled and hidden in a tannery until the Liberation.[2]

[1] Petition from residents of Montbard, n.d. Archives nationales de France, F 21 7072.

[2]  https://anosgrandshommes.musee-orsay.fr/index.php/Detail/objects/1638 

Leucate

Françoise de Cezelli defended Leucate during the Wars of Religion in the 16th century. For her bravery, she was made governor of the town. The mayor of Leucate resisted the destruction of the town's monument to Cezelli, stressing that the statue was raised by public subscription in a spirit of unity.[1] Nevertheless, the statue was removed on April 28, 1942.

[1] Mayor of Leucate to Louis Hautecoeur, 21 January 1942. Archives nationales de France, F 21 7071.

Rennes

Jean Leperdit was mayor of Rennes during the French Revolution and is said to have protected the city from the excesses of the Terror. Celebrations for the inauguration of Leperdit’s statue on September 22, 1892 were elaborate: they included a parade, speeches, a banquet, the release of carrier pigeons, hot air balloon rides, games, a concert, and fireworks.

During the Second World War, the mayor of Rennes protested the removal of bronze statues from his municipality, but especially that of Leperdit. Despite his protests, the monument was melted in 1943.

In 1985, the original cast of the statue was discovered in an antique shop, and the monument was recast and re-inaugurated on its original site in December 1994.

Reims

Municipal officials in Reims protested the proposed removal of the statue La Vigne Champenoise, popularly known in Reims as La Mousse de Champagne. When their protests failed, the statue was hidden to protect it from confiscation.

Saint-Servan

The measures taken by the mayor of Saint-Servan to protect a bust of Admiral Buvet in his town's marketplace offer a colourful example of the significance of statues to small communities. When he was notified that the statue was going to be confiscated, the mayor threatened to resign, and declared that there would be strikes, demonstrations and public disorder if the monument was removed. He built a protective scaffolding around the bust, and finally resorted to dismantling it himself and hiding it in the town hall until after Liberation. The bust was proudly replaced on its pedestal on November 10, 1944.

Nolay

The town of Nolay presented a petition to the municipal council on November 30, 1941 to help save the statues of Lazare Carnot and Sadi Carnot because "some memories are worth respecting and some traditions merit veneration… These monuments belong not only to our local history, but especially to our national heritage."[1] When this protest failed, local workers refused to dismantle the statues, and the mayor of Nolay and his two deputy mayors resigned. The outrage of the inhabitants of Nolay, compounded by the resignation of their municipal leadership finally earned reprieve for the monument to Lazare Carnot. The statue of Sadi Carnot, however, was removed in 1941.

[1] Mayor of Nolay to Prefect Côte-d’Or, 3 February 1942. Archives nationales de France, 21 7072. 

Fougères 

The presidents of thirteen cultural and historical associations in Fougères petitioned for the preservation of the statue of General Lariboisière on April 25, 1942: "It is with great anxiety and great distress that we have learned of the decision regarding the removal of the statue … of General Comte de Lariboisière. We feel that we must emphasize the depth of emotion we feel in the face of such a measure taken against our town. To remove this statue, which is the only statue in our town, and to deny us the chance to take a cast, is to make disappear a splendid work which belongs to our French artistic heritage. We must express how deeply our fellow citizens are affected by the removal of this statue, testimony of their gratitude and their affection toward a glorious son of our city."[1] The mayor of Fougères joined the protest, threatening to resign if any harm came to the statue. Despite this protest, the monument was melted down in 1943.

[1] Petition, April 25, 1942. Archives départementales d’Ille-et-Vilaine, 501 W 12.

Compiègne

The statues of four historical figures were protected from "mobilization": Henry IV, Louis IV, Joan of Arc, and Napoleon. Nevertheless, this statue of Joan of Arc in Compiègne was slated for destruction. There was a huge public outcry, reflected in the local press, which stressed:

"the deep emotion, even indignation, of the people of Compiègne upon learning that a decision had been taken to remove the statue of Joan of Arc which, since 1880, has graced the heart of the city….To take [Joan] away under the pretext that she represents a certain amount of nonferrous metal constitutes a sacrilege and a cruel offence to Compiègne, to France, to the whole of Europe…. For France, Joan is the incarnation of our homeland. … For Compiègne, Joan is our greatest friend, in days of combat, days of grief, days of glory…. Joan perished defending Compiègne, but she bequeathed to our proud city, like a mystic heritage, the treasure of her courage. And now they want to destroy this precious memory! This is an insult to Compiègne, an insult to France, and an offence to our patron Saint. … Will we have to witness French hands rip from her pedestal and throw on the scrap heap this image of Joan that the destruction wrought by two wars has spared? The people of Compiègne, the people of France, can withstand a great deal. They will endure great suffering and great sacrifice. They will bear almost anything—but not this!"[1]

[1] La Gazette de l’Oise, November 22, 1941. Archives nationales de France,F21 7074.

Martigues 

When authorities first attempted to remove the bust of Etienne Richaud in Martigues in February 1942, the contractor encountered “serious difficulties, where the mayor opposed the removal of the statue.” The mayor and Richaud's descendants eventually took the bust of Richaud into "protective custody."[1]

[1] Prefect Bouches-du-Rhône, February 21, 1942; Maurice Richaud to Sub-Prefect Aix-en-Provence, March 10, 1942; Archives départementales de Bouches-du-Rhône, 7 T 3/3.

Monieux

The residents of Monieux petitioned to save the statue La Nesque, donated by a former mayor to adorn the public fountain. It was exempt from destruction in 1942.

Lorient 

A Breton newspaper called for public action against the removal of the statue of Hippolyte Bisson in Lorient. All the statuary in Lorient had been mobilized or destroyed by bombing except Bisson:  "Thursday, they’re going to remove the statue of Bisson. For Lorient, this is sacrilege. War is cruel for men, but it is also fatal for other things, and even statues can’t escape this inevitability. Those that once adorned Lorient are no exception. Several months ago, before the destruction of the city, they wanted to send Bisson to the foundry. This decision raised great indignation in the population of Lorient. … Since then, the city has been destroyed. In the square named for Bisson, in the middle of the rubble and near the Church of Saint Louis which has been terribly damaged, Bisson still stands, the last faithful guardian watching over Lorient-the-Dead. … And so, next Thursday, our little statue is to be removed from the column that supports it. We must not let this happen! This must not happen!!"[1]

[1] Archives nationales de France, 68 AJ 315.

Condé-sur-Noireau 

The mayor of Condé-sur-Noireau petitioned his superiors on December 6, 1941 to save the town's statue of Dumont d'Urville: "The population is devastated and angered by the fate of its statue to our town's most illustrious son. I fear a backlash…. This statue is quite lovely, very popular, and about the only ornament in the town. I would like to think that those who condemned it have never seen it. The Germans, on arriving in Condé went to see it, and I heard an officer explain to his men who Dumont d’Urville was. Do I have the sad duty of having to explain this to the French?"[1] Nevertheless, the statue was removed in 1941. A stone replica took its place.

[1] Mayor of Condé-sur-Noireau to Sub-Prefect Calvados, December 6, 1941. Archives nationales de France, F 21 7072. 

Salins

The mayor of Salins dismantled and hid this monument to General Jean Joseph Cler, feigning to his superiors that the statue had been removed by German troops. After an inquest and correspondence with the German army in Paris, the mayor was instructed to hand the statue over to French officials in January 1944. He refused, the statue "joined the Maquis," and was replaced on its pedestal on November 11, 1944.

Agen

This monument to the Occitan poet Jasmin was protected from confiscation on Pétain's orders in 1943. In total, 24 bronze statues were dismantled in the Lot-et-Garonne region. The only other exemption was a statue of Henry IV in Nérac.

Lyon

Nearly all the metal monuments in Lyon were dismantled. Only three of 27 were exempt from mobilization: Louis XIV, Le Rhône et la Saone by Bartholdi, and La République. This monument to Ampère was dismantled, but hidden and replaced in 1945.

Rollot

Residents of the hamlet of Rollot donated an equivalent quantity of metal in order to save their bust of Antoine Galland.

Ham

This monument to General Foy, inaugurated in 1879, was saved from demolition by the townspeople who donated 500 kgs of metal in its stead. Statues in nearby Rollot and Mondidier were saved in the same way, as were monuments in Carcassonne, Bourges, Dinan, Clermont l'Hérault, Montagnac, Montargis, Reims, Mayenne, Perpignan, Auxerre, and throughout Aveyron.

Dijon

This monument to the 14th century Dutch sculptor Claus Sluter was saved on the order of the German Feldkommandant in Dijon. German officials intervened on several occasions to save statues.

Toulouse

Two monuments in Toulouse were saved because of their age - Dama Tolosa and the Saint-Etienne fountain, which both date from the 16th century.

Other monuments in Toulouse illustrate the legacy of destroyed statues. Armand Silvèstre was replaced by a stone allegory, the former site of La Gloire de Toulouse remains empty.

Nantes

The monument to Colonel Villebois-Mareuil in Nantes was removed from its pedestal, but replaced by the local German authorities following a major public outcry. The statue of Cambronne, and the fountain in place Royale were saved as well: the mayor had warned the French government in January 1942 that the removal of these statues could "turn public opinion against the regime."[1]

[1] Mayor of Nantes to Louis Hautecoeur,January 20, 1942. Archives nationales de France, F21 7071, 68 AJ 312.

Learn more:

Elizabeth Campbell Karlsgodt, Defending National Treasures: French Art and Heritage under Vichy (Stanford University Press, 2011), chapter 8.

Rochefort

This statue of Perseus by the sculptor Louis Martin was one of the few bronze monuments spared in the Charente-Maritime region.

Paris

The public reception of the bronze mobilization campaign in Paris was different from the reaction in the rest of France. Although commemorative monuments brought pride to smaller communities, Paris had less need to cultivate its prestige. In the capital, Third Republic "statuemania" had brought an explosion of public monuments: more than 150 statues were raised in Paris between 1870 and 1914.[1] The press and the people of Paris were often critical of these monuments, arguing that they detracted from the charm and the elegance of the city, overwhelmed parks and gardens, and interfered with traffic and pedestrians. A Paris municipal bulletin stated: "These statues — the mediocrity of which is evident and the banishment of which has been called for by people of taste for some time — will soon disappear, and both art and industry will benefit."[2]

The majority of bronze statues in Paris were removed between November 29 and December 21, 1941.

[1] June Hargrove, The Statues of Paris: An Open-Air Pantheon (Vendôme Press,1989), 303.

[2] Bulletin Municipal Officiel, 8 November 1941.

Pantin

One of the largest French refineries was at Pantin, on the outskirts of Paris. Here, in 1941, photographer Pierre Jahan documented the last phase of the destruction of French bronze statues.

Learn more:

Pierre Jahan et Jean Cocteau, La Mort et les statues (1946)

Kathryn Brown, "Remembering the Occupation: 'La Mort et les statues' by Pierre Jahan and Jean Cocteau" Forum for Modern Language Studies, 49:3 (July 2013): 286–299.