On the initiative of the City of Besançon, the Coubertin foundry repaired the Victor Hugo sculpture created by Senegalese artist Ousmane Sow (1935–2016). Work done prior to and following restoration is in opposition. City of Besançon/Jean-Charles Sexe/Wikimedia Commons
The recently restored piece, which was donated by Senegalese artist Ousmane Sow to the writer’s community, now has a dark skin tone. According to the artist’s widow, a lot more than the original version.
Under the Besançon sun, the creator of Notre Dame of Paris and the exotic Misérables developed colors. The Victor Hugo statue, created by Senegalese sculptor Ousmane Sow and set in 2003 on the Esplanade des droits de l’homme, was restored and unveiled by the municipality on Friday. After being stripped of its patina, the sculpture of the country’s infant now sparkles brilliantly once more. But even in the sculptor’s family, who lost him in 2016, there were some reservations about the color scheme employed for this second youth.
The face was originally flesh-colored. He resembles a black Victor Hugo, which Ousmane never intended. was taken aback by Béatrice Soulé’s response to the Victor Hugo statue’s new appearance when the sculptor’s widow was questioned by The Republican East. Béatrice Soulé said that the City of Besançon had not contacted her over the repair and added that the white beard collar on the statue, aside from his skin tone, “was considerably more modest in the original piece.”
earth tone
The statue’s inauguration in October 2003 was attended by the artist and the former mayor of Besançon, Jean-Louis Fousseret (LREM), who was touched by the work’s new appearance, which he believes is not authentic to its original state. “Ousmane Sow, who was one of the most significant people I have ever met, wanted this Victor Hugo to be exactly as he was at his inauguration. He told our colleagues that the color was significantly different from what you can see right now.
A skater from the Coubertin foundry and former Ousmane Sow associate was given the task of restoring the Victor Hugo statue. The City of Besançon expresses in a news release its wish to “come closer to the original essence” of the Senegalese sculptor’s work, who “loved colors and who was not in favor of’simple’ bronzes.” Béatrice Soulé, who shares the intellectual property of Ousmane Sow with her children, praised the action as admirable despite the disappointing outcome.
Ousmane Sow, who is most known for his sculptures of human beings, built his sculptures out of an iron framework that he wrapped in burlap and on which he sculpted his subjects using a mixture of sand, dirt, and straw. When he made history by being the first African artist to be accepted into the Academy of Fine Arts in 2013, he stated to the Figaro, “I like a work of art to be open, to welcome multiple interpretations from the public, aggressive for some, tranquil for others.”