Paris’s Musée d’Orsay is currently hosting an exhibition dedicated to Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty. The exhibition, which highlights Bartholdi’s life and career, is open until 31 January 2027.
The Statue of Liberty, originally named Liberty Enlightening the World, was a colossal neoclassical sculpture made in France and offered to the American people in the late 19th century. It was intended as a mark of friendship to commemorate the centenary of the 1776 US declaration of independence.
The Musée d’Orsay exhibition features 100 works by Bartholdi. It also includes an immersive virtual reality journey that shows the statue’s conception and construction, marking the 140th anniversary of its inauguration and the 250th anniversary of American independence.