La Fontaine à boire
Claude Torricini (b. 1930), La Fontaine à boire [The Drinking Fountain], patinated bronze, 1998
The artwork
This frog-shaped drinking fountain is located on the Esplanade du Général de Gaulle. A small frog, placed in the mouth of the big one, spits water. The granite benches arranged in a circle around the sculpture are like bleachers inviting you to admire this curious spectacle for a moment.
The artist
Born in Fort de France in 1930, Claude Torricini now lives in Paris where she continues her sculpted, stylised, refined and poetic bestiary whose creatures add a deliciously naive and mischievous note.
From monumental statues in bronze or granite to small figurines in wood or clay, Claude Torricini creates artworks in a refined style of great poetry. She uses the technique of bas-relief as well as modelling. Her animal creations often have an environmental purpose and are exhibited in green spaces and public squares.
Click to enlarge
