The controversial statue of Victor Hugo covered with white painting, the town hall condemns – RT in French

The effigy of the writer, whose face has passed from white to black after a controversial restoration, was smeared with white paint. The town hall of Besançon denounced an act of “vandalism” and decided to file a complaint.

The black color chosen for the restoration of the statue of Victor Hugo in Besançon (Doubs) was obviously not to the taste of all: the writer’s face was covered with white paint on November 21, in direct echo at the controversy around this new version of the work, relayed by several national media.

“The statue of Victor Hugo by Ousmane Sow, who was being renovated, was vandalized,” denounced the city of Besançon, which announced to file a complaint against this “intolerable act”.

Since its revelation on November 18, the statue of the famous writer has unleashed passions due to the color of his skin, different from that of the initial statue before the wear of his patina. The widow of the artist and the former mayor of Besançon questioned a restoration which would not have respected the original intentions of the creator Ousmane Sow, which the municipal ecological team challenged. Some right -wing personalities have seen a deliberate desire from the town hall, echoing the controversies spent on the blackface and attacks on the statues of historical figures, one of the activists’ modes of action woke.

The former minister and deputy Philippe de Villiersamong other things, denounced a choice of the Europe Ecology-Ecologie-les Greens made according to him “in the sole concern to join the fashion of ambient progressivism”, and deplored that “literary whiteness [devienne] an offense”.

Died in 2016, Ousmane Sow was the first black artist to enter the French Academy of Fine Arts. He now has a place in his name in Paris and a street in Besançon. In 2019, the mayor of Paris Annie Hidalgo inaugurated one of his bronze sculptures, the Couple of hand to hand wrestlerson the Place de Valois near the Louvre.