L'Ami de personne, Bronze sculpture in Tuileries Garden, France
L'Ami de personne is a monumental bronze and steel sculpture depicting a humanoid figure with an outstretched hand offering a chair to visitors. Standing 375 cm tall, the work functions as an interactive installation within the garden setting.
L'Ami de personne was made by the Swedish painter and sculptor Erik Dietman (1937–2002) in 1992. It was a public commission from the French state, cast in bronze and installed in a grove of the Tuileries Garden in 1999. A galvanised steel chair, fixed to the ground, faces the figure.
The title L'Ami de personne ("Nobody's Friend") plays on the figure's stance toward the empty galvanised-steel chair fixed to the ground facing it, in a grove of the Tuileries. The chair resembles the free chairs of the garden, so passers-by can sit in it and face the bronze form.
The bronze figure and the galvanised-steel chair facing it stand in a grove of the Tuileries Garden, in the 1st arrondissement. The chair is fixed to the ground, so it stays in place for visitors to sit on. Approach from the garden paths to see the figure and the empty seat together.
The artist left two signatures on the work: one on the back of the figure and another on the chair's backrest. This dual marking reflects the importance Dietman placed on both elements of the composition.
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