In the heart of Paris' 8th arrondissement, in the public park of Monceau, which dates back to the second half of the 18th century, there are six monuments to prominent writers and musicians created during the belle époque. One of these is a marble monument to the Polish composer and former resident of the French capital, Frederic Chopin (1810-1849). Situated near the Nicolas Ledoux turnpike, amidst spreading shrubbery, in a corner of the English garden, it attracts the attention of strollers with its lyrical composition.

Historical background to the creation of the monument - 'statuomania'

The Chopin monument in Monceau Park was created at the turn of the 20th century, during the era of 'statuomania' - the period of the French Third Republic, characterised by a strong inclination on the part of the authorities and grassroots social initiatives to erect statues of figures important to French culture and history in public spaces to pay tribute to 'beings [...] whose merit was personal (not inherited) and secular (not canonised)', as Maurice Agulhon wrote. Until the 1830s, the erection of statues primarily served a specific audience - the aristocracy or soldiers. The change in the target audience to the country's population in general was associated with a shift in emphasis in the creation of monuments to an ideological and political dimension, as well as a broadening of the circle of people involved in the process of their creation and inauguration. The new formula for erecting monuments involved the participation and cooperation of grassroots patrons, committees, subscribers and top-down local authorities.

History of the initiative to create a monument to Fryderyk Chopin

The idea of creating a monument to Chopin originated in the 1890s. In 1895, a committee was set up to erect a monument designed by the French sculptor Jacques Froment-Meurice (1864-1947) in Park Monceau. However, due to internal conflicts within the committee over the form and location of the monument, the subscription at the time failed. In 1899, another public collection was organised - this time for the realisation of a project by another French sculptor, Georges Dubois (c. 1850-1934). The unexpected financial success of the venture made it possible to reconcile the feuding groups within the commission and to realise two monuments - one of Froment-Meurice's design in Park Monceau and the other, to Dubois' design, in the Luxembourg Garden (the composer's bust was lost during the Second World War).

Description of the monument

The decree authorising the location of the statue by Jacques Froment-Meurice in Park Monceau was issued on 7 June 1904. The sculpture was unveiled on 19 August 1906. The marble monument, entitled 'Frédéric Chopin and his Muse', depicts the composer at the piano and a woman seated at the foot of the piano, an allegory of Harmony, her right hand covering her eyes. Above them, a winged female figure emerges from the clouds, spreading flowers, representing the emerging Music. Above the piano on the right is the inscription: 'A CHOPIN / 1810-1849'.