Charles Baudelaire, Bronze bust sculpture in Jardin du Luxembourg, France.

This bronze bust in the Luxembourg Gardens depicts a major 19th-century writer with carefully crafted details on the face and shoulders. It sits on a pedestal with an inscription near one of the garden entrances, positioned close to the Montaigne High School.

A sculptor created this work in 1933, but it remained in storage for years before being placed in the gardens in 1941. The delay between creation and installation reflects the turbulent times Europe was experiencing during that period.

The pedestal inscription names the sculptor Pierre Félix Masseau and dates the work to 1933, though the bust was not set in the Luxembourg Gardens until 22 April 1941. Baudelaire, who died in 1867, is honoured here in the garden beside the Lycée Montaigne, near the rue Auguste-Comte entrance.

You can reach it easily by entering through rue Auguste Comte and following the path into the gardens. The route is accessible for people with mobility needs, as the gardens maintain smooth walking paths to the sculpture.

The pedestal inscription names the painters and sculptors Baudelaire admired, among them Delacroix and Daumier, rather than listing his own works. The bust was modelled by Pierre Félix Masseau and cast in bronze; it was made in 1933 but only set up in the Luxembourg Gardens on 22 April 1941.