The Statue of Liberty—an emblem of America, symbol of freedom and democracy, and colossal challenge sealing the union between art and technology—is one of the world’s most photographed landmarks. The Frenchman who designed it, Auguste Bartholdi, was himself a photographer. However, he quickly gave up photography for painting and, especially, sculpture, relying on the skills of professionals to record the progress of his creations, especially the Statue of Liberty. Throughout the construction process, images, especially photographs, played an unprecedented role, serving not just as working tools, but also, and above all, as outstanding communication tools. Beyond these purposes, the photographs waver between reality and fiction, documenting 20 years of an outsized, utopian project intersecting with and marked by the greatest political, social, architectural and aesthetic issues of their time.
Luce Lebart
EXHIBITION
In part of Les Rencontres d’Arles
Lady Liberty, The Photographic Making of an Icon
From July 4th to September 11th, 2016
Musée Départemental Arles Antique
13200 Arles
France
http://www.rencontres-arles.com
