The painter Jean-Paul Laurens, created this painting, showing a symphonic orchestra inspired by a great and thoughtful Beethoven. This was painted between 1902, and is entitled “Hommage to Beethoven”. It can be found in Castres theatre. Jean-Paul Laurens is a forgotten painter. He was born at Fourquevaux (Haute-Garonne), near Toulouse, in 1838. His Southern origines are visible in all […]
At the start of the XXth century, a Committee for Beethoven Monument was set up.It’s objective was the realisation of a monument in honour of Beethoven in the centre of Paris. A decree by the President of the Republic, dated December 20th 1909, oversaw it’s installation at Ranelagh, Paris. But administrative complications deprived the capital of this monument which was […]
Napoléon III decided to construct a new opera in 1860. Charles Garnier was just 35 and still unknown but won the commission in 1861, against 170 other candidates. Charles Garnier designed the opera and also all the ornamentation. On the face are four sculptures: dance, instramental music, lyrical drama and harmony. Also the busts which honour the great musicians: Beethoven, Mozart, […]
Emile-Antoine Bourdelle was born on October 30th 1861 at Montauban. At the age of 15 he entered the Beaux Arts, at Toulouse. In 1884 Bourdelle went up to Paris. In 1888, the artist was 27 years old, and created his first piece on Beethoven, a theme on which he worked throughout his life. From 1893 to 1908, he was practitioner to […]
A small street in Paris is named “Rue Beethoven”. It’s in the 16th arrondissement, between the ‘Avenue du Président Kennedy’ and the ‘Boulevard Delessert’ (métro : Passy, line 6). It’s 117 metres long and 15 metres wide, and finished with a flight of steps at the north end, which lead to ‘Boulevard Delessert’. The Rue Beethoven was given this name on August 24th 1864. […]
The French Beethoven Association is responsible for this bust of Beethoven in the Luxemburg Gardens in Paris. It was unveiled on Thursday October 26th 1978, in the presence of the president of the Senat. At this unveiling, Maurice Shumann, a member of the French Academy and Vice-President of the Senat, made a speech in the presence of Madame Bufet-Bourdelle. Installed […]
Graz is a town in the South-East of Autria. The sculptor is Johannes Benk (born 27.7.1844 in Vienna, died 12.3.1944 in Vienna). It is at the Stefaniensaal at Graz that this statue was inaugurated in 1928. It was created by Johannes Benk in 1911. Any other information about this statue is welcome.
This bust of Beethoven is at Mödling, by the corner of the main Beethoven haus in that town. It is a bronze head, and it is small, somehow life size. Mödling is a charming small village, south of Vienna, with many old houses, since it was not destroyed by the Turks in 1683. Mödling is situated on a hillside, near […]
Heiligenstadt, prevoiusly on the outskirts of Vienna, is now one of the capital’s districts. Beethoven visited the area frequently, and it was there that he wrote the famous Heiligenstadt Testement in 1802. The statue is situated in Heiligenstadt Park. It was sculpted in marble by Fritz Hänlein following a model by Robert Weigl. It was erected by the Association of male […]
There is a lovely museum to visit in Floridsdorf, north-west of the centre of Vienna. This museum is installed in a small house which was owned by Marie Erdödy, a faithful, discrete and efficient friend to Beethoven who payed her visits there. The curious visitor can read documents, and discover paintings, scores, etc. relating to the house, it’s owner and […]