Deux personnages fantastiques, Modern sculpture in La Défense, France
Two Fantastic Figures is a colorful artwork by Joan Miró that rises approximately 12 meters high in shades of blue, red, and yellow. The abstract forms stand near Les Quatre Temps shopping center and showcase Miró's expressive approach translated into monumental scale.
Miró received the commission for a monumental work in La Défense four years before the sculpture was inaugurated on 13 November 1978, in the presence of culture minister Jean-Philippe Lecat. The artist, then ill, could not attend; around a thousand people gathered, and the puppet troupe Claca, in Miró-inspired costume, performed the unveiling with the Othello-Fine Fanfare and fireworks. A 300 x 160 x 140 cm model is held at the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona.
The sculpture stands out with bright colors that contrast sharply against the gray corporate buildings surrounding it. This visual difference makes the artwork a focal point in an otherwise austere business district.
The sculpture is freely accessible in the public plaza and can be viewed at any time without restriction. Views change depending on where you stand around the work and the time of day, so walking around it reveals different visual impressions.
The sculpture was inaugurated on 13 November 1978, not 1976, in front of about a thousand people. A troupe of puppets from the Claca company, in Miró-inspired costumes, performed the unveiling, arriving from Les Halles by a special RER train with a fanfare and fireworks. Miró, then ill, could not attend.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,460 contributors worldwide.
