After a two-year debate, the sculpture was installed outside the Petit Palais, an art museum in central Paris
Jeff Koons at the unveiling of the Bouquet of Tulips. Source: Reuters
American artist Jeff Koons unveiled the sculpture Bouquet of Tulips, a tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks in November 2015. The 12-metre-high monument depicts a giant hand holding a bouquet of 11 colourful tulips, a symbol of love in many cultures, Reuters reports.
Koons said he created the Bouquet of Tulips to express Americans’ support and solidarity for the people of France after the attacks that killed a total of 130 people. “I did, as a citizen in New York, experience 9/11 and the depression that hung over the city,” Koons said.
According to the artist, 80% of the proceeds from selling the copyright of the artwork will go to the victims’ families. 20% will be spent on the maintenance of the sculpture.
“The memory, commemorations, art, everything we do that can recall the memory of our loved ones, is vital,” says Dominique Kielemoes, a member of the victims’ association 13onze15 who lost her son in the attack.
The work was unveiled after several years of criticism and public debate. The initial location, near the Palais de Tokyo, was abandoned after the government decided the sculpture would spoil the view of the Eiffel Tower.
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