{"id":370816,"date":"2026-10-12T07:24:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T07:24:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/370816\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T07:24:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T07:24:15","slug":"frances-symbol-of-freedom-to-america-celebrated-in-paris-liberty-enlightening-the-world-greenwich-sentinel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/370816\/","title":{"rendered":"France’s Symbol of Freedom to America Celebrated in Paris: Liberty Enlightening the World | Greenwich Sentinel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>Laura McCormick stands beside a model of the Statue of Liberty during a visit to the Mus\u00e9e des Arts et M\u00e9tiers in Paris, where the exhibition Lady Liberty: Sweat, Audacity, Genius explores the design, construction, and history of the monument.<\/p>\n

By Laura McCormick<\/p>\n

Who can forget the French Air Force jets in their dramatic flyover of the Statue of Liberty and the Hudson River, or the Lady Liberty light show on July 4th? They were among several magnificent tributes from the French government to honor our 250th anniversary and enduring transatlantic bond.<\/p>\n

Celebrations of the Franco-American alliance continue with the recent openings of two Paris exhibitions timed to the 250th anniversary: \u201cAuguste Bartholdi: Liberty Enlightening the World\u201d at the storied Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay and \u201cLady Liberty: Sweat, Audacity, Genius\u201d at the Mus\u00e9e des Arts et M\u00e9tiers, a world-renowned technical and industrial museum.<\/p>\n

The exhibits shed light on our worldwide symbol of freedom\u2019s often-overlooked French connection\u2014a history that curators have imbued with surprises about the extraordinary genius of the people who imagined and built her. I was honored to tour the exhibitions with a delegation from an organization with a history of collaboration with the French in supporting the Statue of Liberty.<\/p>\n

In our era of social media and quick sound bites, it was exhilarating to be immersed in the complete history of this masterpiece of French ingenuity, which was initially intended as a gift for the centenary of American independence.<\/p>\n

Historic Franco-American Collaboration<\/p>\n

The monument was first suggested in 1865 by French politician \u00c9douard Laboulaye, who admired America\u2019s model of democracy during the tumultuous reign of Napoleon III. The project appealed to the hugely ambitious and talented French sculptor Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric-Auguste Bartholdi. Bartholdi was looking for an opportunity to revisit an earlier, similar plan of his\u2014a giant lighthouse featuring a woman bearing a torch to be placed at the entry to the Suez Canal\u2014which had been deemed too expensive.<\/p>\n

With Napoleon III deposed, Bartholdi began working in earnest in the early 1870s. He collaborated with the Paris workshop of Gaget, Gauthier & Co. on the extraordinary undertaking that was as much a gift from France as a political statement to celebrate the struggle against oppression. Gustave Eiffel provided the ingenious metal framework that enabled the statue to support its own weight, pushing the technical boundaries of the era.<\/p>\n

During construction, the statue was heavily promoted in America to build awareness and excitement long before it was shipped from France. Aggressive fundraising was needed to build the pedestal on Bedloe\u2019s Island. Joseph Pulitzer was instrumental in raising these funds, appealing to the civic pride of everyday Americans through his network of newspapers.<\/p>\n

The museums showcase dramatic, behind-the-scenes accounts of the steps that made Bartholdi\u2019s dream possible: the sources of inspiration, the technical, political, and financial obstacles, and its shipment and assembly on Bedloe\u2019s Island. The project ultimately resulting in Liberty Enlightening the World, the statue\u2019s original name, becoming an iconic global symbol for freedom.<\/p>\n

Richly immersive virtual reality and 3D reconstruction techniques, coupled with life-size video projections and sets, transport visitors in real time to experience the construction of the colossal monument. The ringing of hammers in the bustling workshop, the disassembly, and the packing of the statue for its voyage across the Atlantic are extremely effective in showcasing the enormous human effort required to bring the copper and iron giant to life. The virtual reality ascent to the top of the crown was an exhilarating and dizzying ride, giving me a new appreciation for the monumental genius behind its creation.<\/p>\n

Pbs To Showcase Lady Liberty<\/p>\n

It is not necessary to visit Paris to appreciate the essence of the exhibitions. PBS WNET Thirteen premieres Secrets of the Dead: Raising Lady Liberty on Wednesday, October 21 at 10 p.m., featuring contributions from Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay curators. For those traveling to Paris, the Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay exhibit runs through January 31, 2027, and the Mus\u00e9e des Arts et M\u00e9tiers\u2019 exhibition continues through August 1, 2027.<\/p>\n

Vive la France!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Laura McCormick stands beside a model of the Statue of Liberty during a visit to the Mus\u00e9e des…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":370817,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-370816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=370816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370816\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/370817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=370816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=370816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=370816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}