L'Homme aux semelles devant, Bronze sculpture at Port Saint-Bernard, Paris, France
L'Homme aux semelles devant is a bronze sculpture showing a poet's head paired with legs extending sharply forward, measuring approximately 1.5 meters tall and 4 meters wide. The work combines a meditative upper body with lower limbs that seem caught in motion, creating visual tension between contemplation and action.
The work was commissioned in 1984 and created by Jean-Robert Ipoustéguy, first positioned near Arsenal Library when completed in 1988. It was later relocated to its present location in Jardin Tino Rossi, where it joined an outdoor sculpture collection in 2019.
The title references Verlaine's affectionate nickname for Rimbaud, 'man with soles of wind,' capturing the poet's restless spirit through form. The forward-reaching legs below the thoughtful face express a constant pull toward movement and discovery that defined his life.
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 sculpture presents an unexpected view of poet Arthur Rimbaud by showing only his head in stillness while his legs are captured in perpetual forward motion. This physical division quietly embodies the tension within Rimbaud between his poetic contemplation and his actual restless wandering.
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