Water lilies - Philolaos Tloupas

This monumental sculpture that adorns the two fountains is made of stainless steel, Philolaos' favourite material. It shows the shape of a flower in a basin, a modern nod to Monet and a tribute to a nature that seems, at all costs, to be taking back its rights on concrete.

Philolaos presents two other artworks at La Défense: Oiseau mécanique and Cheminées.

A word about the artist

Born in Greece, Philolaos Tloupas (known as Philolaos), moved to Paris in the 1950s where he studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. In 1963, the architect André Gomis suggested that he create a "sculpture-architecture" in Valencia and enabled him to discover the powers of urban aesthetics. He then became the sculptor of architects. At the same time, a material opened up new possibilities for him and played an important role in his artwork: stainless steel. In particular, he uses its natural modularity to create shapes that escape geometry to better connect with nature. Pursuing a personal plastic artwork, Philolaos expresses himself on different supports: he uses terracotta, turned wood, smoothed marble, washed concrete, among others.