Had the Paris authorities followed the example of the city’s Nazi occupiers, under whose regime the original bronze of Voltaire was removed in 1941 and melted down? However, Voltaire will not return to his plinth close to the Seine’s left bank just behind the prestigious Académie des Beaux-Arts. Instead, the statue, by sculptor Léon-Ernest Drivier, will be placed under arches in the university medical school, half a mile away. I don’t know if the motivations of those who damaged the statue were political, but our only motivation is conservation. In 1878 a bronze statue of Voltaire was commissioned to mark the 100th anniversary of his death, and placed on Quai Malaquais.

Source: The Guardian February 20, 2022 09:28 UTC