Musée d'Orsay Show Explores Auguste Bartholdi, Creator of the Statue of Liberty
From 15 September 2026 to 31 January 2027, the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, in collaboration with the Musée Bartholdi in Colmar, will host an exhibition dedicated to Auguste Bartholdi (1834–1904). This showcase will include approximately one hundred pieces and documents that outline the origins, construction, and unveiling of the Statue of Liberty. The concept was first suggested in 1865 by Édouard Laboulaye for the 1876 centennial celebration, with Bartholdi's initial sketch emerging in 1870. Featured works include the Lion of Belfort and the Monument to La Fayette. Curators François Blanchetière and Juliette Chevée indicate that 70% of the items come from the Colmar museum. The statue was finished in 1884, reached New York on 17 June 1885, and was inaugurated on 28 October 1886.
Key facts
- The Musée d'Orsay exhibition 'Auguste Bartholdi. La Liberté éclairant le monde' runs from 15 September 2026 to 31 January 2027.
- It is organized with the Musée Bartholdi in Colmar and features about 100 works and documents.
- Auguste Bartholdi (1834–1904) designed the Statue of Liberty, first sketched in 1870 after an 1865 dinner idea by Édouard Laboulaye.
- The statue was funded by a private subscription launched in 1878, raising 400,000 francs.
- It was built in Paris by Monduit (later Gaget, Gauthier et Cie) with a metal framework by Gustave Eiffel, completed in 1884.
- The statue arrived in New York on 17 June 1885 aboard the frigate L'Isère and was inaugurated on 28 October 1886.
- The pedestal, 46 meters high, was designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt and financed by Americans.
- The Musée des Arts et Métiers presents 'Lady Liberté. De la sueur, de l'audace, du génie' from 22 September 2026 to 1 August 2027.
Entities
Artists
- Auguste Bartholdi
- Édouard Laboulaye
- Gustave Eiffel
- Richard Morris Hunt
- Ary Scheffer
- David d'Angers
- Joseph Chinard
- Auguste Clésinger
- Louis-Charles Janson
- Ferdinand de Lesseps
- Albert Fernique
- Victor Dargaud
- Pierre Petit
- Henri Saintin
- Hubert Louis Noël
- Jeanne Émilie Bartholdi
- François Blanchetière
- Juliette Chevée
- Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
- Jean-François Soitoux
- Eugène Delacroix
- Jeff Koons
Institutions
- Musée d'Orsay
- Musée Bartholdi
- Musée des Arts et Métiers
- Musée Carnavalet
- Comité de l'union franco-américaine
- Monduit
- Gaget, Gauthier et Cie
- Connaissance des Arts
- Société des amis du musée Bartholdi
- Galerie Alexandre Lacroix
- Musée des Arts décoratifs
- UNESCO
- Gaget, Gauthier & Cie
- Galerie Magazine
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Colmar
- New York
- United States
- Versailles
- Belfort
- Place Denfert-Rochereau
- Manhattan
- Suez
- Egypt
- Philadelphia
- Rouen
- Esplanade Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
- Rue Réaumur
- Suez Canal
- Liberty Island
- Ellis Island
- place Denfert-Rochereau
- New York Harbor