Fame of Arts, Bronze and gold sculpture on Pont Alexandre III, Paris, France.
Fame of Arts is a gilded bronze figure by Emmanuel Frémiet, set atop one of the four corner pillars of the Pont Alexandre III on the Right Bank, in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. The allegorical female figure stands on a tall stone pier, balancing a gilded composition against the pale stone of the bridge and the grey zinc roofs behind it.
Emmanuel Frémiet made the gilded bronze Fame of Arts for the Pont Alexandre III, built for the 1900 Paris Universal Exhibition and inaugurated in 1899. The bridge's four corner pillars each carry a gilded bronze group; Frémiet's stands on the Right Bank upstream corner, facing the Grand Palais.
The sculpture represents artistic achievement through a classical female figure that crowns one of the bridge's pillars. It forms part of a series of allegorical representations celebrating human virtues and reflecting the confidence of the Belle Époque era.
The sculpture is best viewed from the bridge walkway or from boats traveling under the Pont Alexandre III on the Seine. The viewing angle changes depending on your approach and how light falls across the gilded surface.
Fame of Arts is one of four gilded figures crowning the pillars at the ends of the Pont Alexandre III, each representing a different period of French art. Frémiet's figure stands on the Right Bank end, paired with a companion on the same pillar, so visitors often photograph only one of the pair.
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