L'Homme aux semelles devant, Bronze sculpture at Port Saint-Bernard, Paris, France

L'Homme aux semelles devant is a 1985 bronze sculpture by Ipoustéguy honouring Arthur Rimbaud. The figure lies horizontally on a rectangular base, head raised and wearing a hat, legs bent with feet pointing down, while a long angular cape flares out to the right into a rigid open fold. The base is engraved "A PAULHAN" and "1856-1931".

François Mitterrand commissioned the sculpture in 1985 as part of a series of public tributes to great figures begun in 1984. Ipoustéguy's work was first installed on Place du Père-Teilhard-de-Chardin, facing the Arsenal Library in the 4th arrondissement. In autumn 2018 it was moved to the open-air sculpture museum in the 5th arrondissement.

The title parodies Rimbaud's nickname 'l'homme aux semelles de vent' (the man with soles of wind), given by Verlaine. Ipoustéguy places the legs ahead of the body, so the soles lead the figure. The bronze base is engraved 'A PAULHAN' and '1856-1931', a detail visitors can read at the foot of the work.

The sculpture sits in the open-air collection at Jardin Tino Rossi along the Seine riverfront path, easily accessible to visitors. The riverside location makes it simple to view this work alongside others while enjoying views of the water.

The title parodies Rimbaud's nickname "l'homme aux semelles de vent", given by Verlaine: here the soles point forward because the legs are placed ahead of the body. Martine Boyer-Weinmann reads the face as a composite of Carjat's photograph and Fantin-Latour's Coin de table.