Monumental art – “The Runners”, replica of Alfred Boucher, on Calea Victoriei
”The Runners”, a 1913 replica of the statue by French artist Alfred Boucher, which can be admired today on Calea Victoriei 142-146, has been installed in different places in Bucharest over the years.
The original statue, as a plaster model with the title “Les Coureurs”, was first exhibited in Salon Paris of 1866. In 1940 it was destroyed, three copies were subsequently cast in bronze. Other copies are in private collections.
The historical monument in Bucharest originally stood in front of the Romanian Athenaeum. It was replaced by a bronze statue of Mihai Eminescu in 1965 by the sculptor Gheorghe D. Anghel. In 1966, “The Runners” was installed on its current location, but it was also for a while on Șoseaua Ștefan cel Mare, in front of Dinamo Stadium, but was returned to Calea Victoriei.
Three athletes are shown at the end of the race, holding out their hands to be the first to cross the finish line. The explorer Gabriel Bonvalot, a friend of the sculptor, was one of those who posed for the group of statues.
Alfred Boucher (September 23, 1850 – August 18, 1934) was the mentor of the sculptor Camille Claudel and a good friend of Auguste Rodin. He was born in Bouy-sur-Ovin (Nogent-sur-Sein). He distinguished himself at a young age and won the Grand Prix du Salon in 1881 with “La Piete Filiale”. He moved to Florence for a long period and was the favorite sculptor of presidents and kings such as George I of Greece and Queen Marie of Romania. He mentored a new generation of sculptors such as Laure Coutan and Camille Claudel. Camille later sculpted a bust of her mentor herself.
Boucher received the Grand Prize for sculpture at the Universal Exhibition in 1900. He died in Aix-les-Bains at the age of 84. The work most emblematic of Boucher’s career is ”Volubilis”.
Photo credit: curatorial
