A giant sculpture titled ‘Three elements’ has been unveiled by Prince Albert in the new Maraterra district alongside the artist Bernard Bezzina.
The monumental work has been installed in the new Place du Larvotto facing the Mediterranean Sea.
The bronze sculptures reach up to 10, 12 and 15 metres high and feature numerous uneven peaks.
“The theme is one I have had for many years: strength and fragility, something that has real meaning for me today,” said Bernard Bezzina during the unveiling on Saturday 3rd June.
It has taken three years for the French artist, who lives between the Var and Italy, to complete the work.
The sculpture has been cast on wood and made in bronze.
The ‘three elements’ that it represents are water, earth, and air. The site was chosen because “it was the best location to represent the three elements,” Bezzina told Monaco Life.
Bernard Bezzina is no stranger to the Principality. His work ‘La Main Divition III’ is positioned next to the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, and it was Prince Albert himself who first showed an interest in a 1/10 version of ‘Three Elements’ before it was commissioned to be produced on a larger scale.
In line with the mission of the Principality, Bernard Bezzina respects the ethics of sustainable development in his creative process.
He uses an old grinder to make cotton paper, which he then tears and lays on top of his designs, creating layer after layer, covering it with multiple coats of natural pigments. Eventually it reaches his desired density, resembling tanned leather with incisions and traces creating different impacts.
Bernard Bezzina will feature his monumental sculptures during a solo exhibition throughout the city of Pietra Santa, Italy, from 17th June to 17th September.
He is also being exhibited at the Galerie Podgorny Robinson in Saint Paul until 25th June.
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Feature photo credit Gaetan Luci/Palais princier.