New York-based pop artist Jeff Koons has unveiled his long-awaited giant sculpture titled “Bouquet of Tulips” in Paris, commemorating the victims of terror attacks that rocked France in 2015 and 2016.
Controversy over the placement of the sculpture stalled its installation for years after Koons announced the gift in November 2016. It was finally unveiled on Friday in the gardens of the Champs Élysées — between the Petit Palais and Place de la Concorde.
The 12.6-metre (41ft) sculpture, fashioned from polychromed bronze, stainless steel and aluminium, portrays a hand clasping a bouquet of balloon-like tulips.
At an inauguration ceremony attended by some families of the November 2015 Paris terror attacks, Koons called the flowers “a symbol that life moves forward”, adding that
they “represent loss, rebirth, and the vitality of the human spirit”.
“I did, as a citizen in New York, experience 9/11 and the depression that hung over the city and it really took years for the city to be able to come to life again,” Koons said.
Patricia Correia, whose daughter was killed in the Bataclan concert hall attack, thanked Koons for his tribute.
“It’s a very strong testament between the two countries and for me it represents the colours of life, the roots which are here and continue growing despite all the tragic events we went through,” she said.
The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, Called the work “a gift from the heart”, and said vibrant debate, particularly over art, was a hallmark of Parisian identity.
“Nothing can be small in Paris,” she said. “Everything is big in Paris – emotions, controversies, and the traces that art leaves in our lives.”
Private French and American donors covered the costs of constructing and installing the sculpture.
Catherine Gaschka and Oleg Cetinic contributed to this report.