L'Ouragan, Bronze sculpture in Jardin Massey, Tarbes, France.
L'Ouragan is a bronze statue by sculptor Edmond Desca that depicts a male figure blowing forcefully into a horn while placing one foot on an uprooted branch. The work stands in the Jardin Massey in Tarbes and reaches a height of about 3 meters.
The sculptor first created a plaster version of the work, which received a travel grant award at the 1883 Salon des Artistes Francais exhibition. This recognition eventually led to the bronze casting that now stands in the Jardin Massey.
The title references a storm, and the dynamic portrayal of a human figure reflects the romantic artistic ideals of the 19th century. Visitors can observe how artists of that era captured natural forces and human energy in bronze form.
L'Ouragan stands in the Jardin Massey, the English-style landscape garden laid out by Placide Massey, which is open daily and free to enter. The bronze is set outdoors among the garden's paths and lawns, so it can be walked around and seen from several sides. The garden also holds the Massey museum and a cloister from the former abbey of Saint-Sever-de-Rustan.
The nudity of the figure drew complaints from local schools, and the museum curator responded by fitting the statue with a pair of trousers. The episode is remembered in Tarbes as an example of the disputes that public sculpture could provoke in the early 20th century.
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