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Neuf Lignes Obliques

Neuf Lignes Obliques is a steel monument by French artist Bernar Venet on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. Commissioned by Mayor Christian Estrosi, it was created to mark the 150th anniversary of the 1860 annexation of the County of Nice by France and to symbolise the nine valleys of the old county as well as the surrounding mountains pointing to the sea. The sculpture consists of nine 30-metre steel beams that meet at the top and are inclined at an oblique angle. Made of 65 tonnes of corten steel and set on a 130-tonne concrete foundation, it was inaugurated on 31 May 2010 and moved 10 metres to its current site in 2012.

Neuf Lignes Obliques sculpture standing between apartment buildings on a busy city street lined with parked cars and palm trees.
Neuf Lignes Obliques by Bernar Venet rises along a city street in Nice, framed by apartment buildings and palm trees.
July 2011 © · CC BY 2.0
Neuf Lignes Obliques stands in a paved square with palm trees, buildings, and people nearby.
Neuf Lignes Obliques in a town square, with pedestrians, cars, and buildings around it.
August 2025 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Neuf Lignes Obliques sculpture with tall rusty orange metal beams rising at sharp angles against a pale sky.
Neuf Lignes Obliques by Bernar Venet, shown from below with its rust-colored metal beams reaching into the sky.
July 2011 © · CC BY 2.0
Two rusted metal columns frame a palm tree beneath the Neuf Lignes Obliques sculpture.
A palm tree is seen through the rusted steel elements of Bernar Venet’s Neuf Lignes Obliques.
July 2011 © · CC BY 2.0
A reddish-brown information plaque for Neuf Lignes Obliques lies angled on green grass.
An informational plaque for Neuf Lignes Obliques лежes on the grass near the artwork.
August 2025 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleNeuf Lignes Obliques
English titleNine Oblique Lines
TypeSculpture

Historical context

Commissioned forTo mark the 150th anniversary of the 1860 annexation of the County of Nice by France
Historical occasionAnniversary of the annexation of the County of Nice to France in 1860

Creator

ArtistBernar Venet
Artist nationalityFrench
Artist birth year1941
Artist originNative of the Nice region
Artist careerKnown for steel sculptures after moving to the United States

Discovery and provenance

RelocationMoved 10 m to its current site in 2012
Inauguration date31 May 2010
Installation date2010
Installed according to instructions ofChristian Estrosi, mayor of Nice
Commissioned byChristian Estrosi, mayor of Nice

Materials

MaterialCorten steel
Additional materialConcrete foundation

Physical characteristics

Number of steel beamsNine
Beam length30 metres
HeightUnspecified
Weight65 tonnes of corten steel; 130-tonne concrete foundation
CompositionNine steel bars meeting at the top
OrientationInclined oblique lines
ArrangementThe bars rest on one of their bases and meet at the top of the work

Iconography and meaning

SymbolismRepresents the nine valleys of the former County of Nice and the surrounding mountains pointing to the sea

Location and ownership

LocationPromenade des Anglais, Nice, France
Specific siteBetween the George Pompidou esplanade and the Promenade des Anglais on Nice's Mediterranean coast; in front of the Promenade des Anglais