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Gavarni Fountain

Gavarni Fountain is a monument in the center of Place Saint-Georges in Paris, created in 1904 by sculptor Denys Puech and architect Henri Guillaume in memory of the satirical draughtsman Paul Gavarni. The site originally held a fountain installed in 1824, built to provide water for horses. In 1901, the Society of Painter-Lithographers proposed replacing it with a monument to Gavarni, who had lived nearby on Rue Fontaine. A public subscription was organized to fund the project, and the fountain function was preserved as part of the design. The monument was later temporarily moved in 1907 during construction of the Saint-Georges metro station, and it was restored in 2020 as part of Paris’s participatory budget.

Gavarni Fountain with a stone bust of a bearded man writing in a book atop a carved cylindrical pillar.
The Gavarni Fountain features a stone bust of Paul Gavarni atop a carved cylindrical pedestal.
February 2017 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Gavarni Fountain with a stone column topped by a figure holding a book, with relief sculpture and sculpted heads at the base.
The Gavarni Fountain in Paris features a tall stone column topped by a figure holding a book.
May 2009 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Gavarni Fountain with a sculpted figure of a man sketching above theatrical reliefs on the base
The Gavarni Fountain monument in Paris, showing the sculpted figure above reliefs on the cylindrical base.
February 2008 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Gavarni Fountain stands on a street corner behind a black metal fence, with sculpted figures, parked cars, and nearby buildings under a blue sky.
The Gavarni Fountain on Place Saint-Georges in Paris, seen beside a quiet street and surrounding buildings.
June 2009 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Gavarni Fountain stone sculpture with a carved figure holding an open book and pen against a blue sky
Detail of the Gavarni Fountain in Paris, showing the sculpted figure of Paul Gavarni above the inscribed base.
October 2012 © · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleMonument à Gavarni
Alternative titleFontaine Gavarni
Typemonument fountain

Historical context

PurposeIn memory of Paul Gavarni
Commemorated person's deathdied in 1866
Commemorated person's connection to the siteHe lived in the neighborhood, rue Fontaine
SubjectPaul Gavarni, satirical illustrator and caricaturist

Creator

ArtistDenys Puech
ArchitectHenri Guillaume
Design attributionThe conception/design is attributed to Denys Puech and Henri Guillaume

Discovery and provenance

Committee secretaryMaurice Neumont
Fundraising event detailsThe Opéra Comique event was postponed from its original date and included a prologue by Émile Blémont spoken by Marie Leconte
Fundraising eventsA party at the Moulin-Rouge and a morning event at the Opéra Comique
First committee meetingHeld at Gérôme's home
Fundraising methodPublic subscription
Committee presidentJean-Léon Gérôme
Fundraising committeeA committee was formed to organize the erection of the monument and the public subscription
Fundraising organizerSociété des peintres-lithographes
Commissioned bySociété des peintres-lithographes
Commission purposeTo erect a monument in memory of Paul Gavarni

Physical characteristics

Replacement monument materialStone
Pedestal decorationFour bronze mascarons on the four faces of the pedestal
Decorative reliefsFour high-relief figures on the base, representing a stevedore, a lorette, a rapin, and an Arlequin
Current formA column topped by a bust of Gavarni
Replacement monument date1911
Original installation date1824
Original formTwo superposed basins around a central column

Materials

MaterialsBronze mascarons; stone replacement monument

Technique

Water featureFountain with thin water jets from the mascarons
ConstructionThe fountain function was maintained because of contractual obligations from its history

Appearance

Bust poseGavarni is shown drawing in a sketchbook

Iconography and meaning

Mascaron subjectTypical figures from Carnival characters
Base figuresA Débardeur, a Lorette, a Rapin, and an Arlequin
Historical referenceThe monument evokes the Carnival of Paris, which was important for centuries and disappeared in 1950
ThemeThe Carnival of Paris

Location and ownership

LocationCenter of Place Saint-Georges, Paris, France
EnclosureThe ensemble is enclosed by a grille
Original commission sitePlace Saint-Georges, Paris, France
Current location significanceIt is said to be the only place in Paris where the Carnival of Paris is evoked

History and restoration

Inauguration1907
Temporary relocationIn 1907 the monument was temporarily moved to the Dépôt des marbres
Reason for temporary relocationTo allow construction of the Saint-Georges station for the Nord-Sud electric underground railway line (line A, now line 12) of the Paris Métro
Impact of railway constructionIn 1906 construction of the North-South line dried out and transformed the earlier fountain
RestorationRestored in 2020 as part of the Participatory Budget of the City of Paris

Significance

Inscription on baseThe public subscription launched in 1901 by the Société des peintres-lithographes is indicated on the monument base