Latest Version, œuvre de Willem de Haan

Place Royale is a symbol of downtown Nantes. Its monumental fountain – inaugurated in 1865 – reflects the city’s 19^th-century economic and urban boom: here, a central female figure embodies the city, surrounded by bronze allegories representing its driving forces – from the Loire and its tributaries to the industries of the time.

But what does this monument still say about the city today? That’s the question posed by Willem de Haan. Through his often humorous works, the Dutch artist explores our relationship to public space. He recontextualizes familiar elements to reveal their absurdity or unexpected poetry.

For Place Royale, he decided to “update” the fountain: fourteen hyperrealistic figures of contemporary people from Nantes have replaced the 19^th-century allegories. Selected for their professions, commitments, or ties to the city’s transformations, these individuals represent the social, economic, and cultural dynamics of the 21^st century.

The original statues have been moved elsewhere in the square and rearranged within a structure resembling a museum storage facility, thus creating a dialogue between past and present.

Through this piece, the artist offers a new way of reading the city, rooted in its current identity and ongoing changes. Blending homage and renewal, the work questions how a city builds its image through monuments, and how it chooses to tell its story in public space.

Do not climb on the foutain.