Guy Lartigue – Hommage à la Princesse Grace, 1969

This fountain, commissioned to the artist in 1969 by Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace, had been dismantled in September 2019, as part of the Larvotto district regeneration project. Brice Lartigue, the artist’s son, was responsible for removing and crating the sculpture, then cleaning, restoring and reassembling it. Most of the sculpture’s existing elements were preserved (the original masts, the cover plates for the basins, etc.), and the new patina shade was chosen in accordance with the wishes of artist Guy Lartigue, who passed away in the spring of 2021.
Ce chantier de conservation-restauration a été mené conjointement par le Nouveau Musée National de Monaco, la Direction de l’Aménagement Urbain et la Direction des Affaires Culturelles de Monaco.

Hommage à la Princesse Grace was reinstalled in the center of Place Josephine Baker in 2022.

To define my work, I prefer to speak of sculpture-fountain. It shows the movements of water created on its own volumes. Without water, during winter for example, it still exists as a work of art in its own right, whereas a simple fountain risks leaving the sad image of mere piping. In my sculptures, the form serves as a support for the water. Water is conceived as a material in its own right. What’s more, the quantity of water used must be in proportion to the sculpture’s volume. A trickle of water on an object weighing several tonnes wouldn’t work! 

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This work is part of the Chemin des Sculptures Rainier III itinerary, created on the initiative of the Direction des Affaires Culturelles in collaboration with the Institut du Patrimoine, the Direction de l’Aménagement Urbain and the Délégation Interministérielle chargée de la Transition Numérique de Monaco.

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