Political and legal battlefields surrounding the fate of a statue of Joan of Arc, in the north of Nice (Alpes-Maritimes). Barely inaugurated at the end of October, opposite the church of the same name, on a square still under construction after the creation of an underground car park, the work – 4.5 m high and 9 tonnes on the counter – can be found at heart of an incredible story which could lead to its dismantling.
The skirmishes began this Wednesday, January 15 when the administrative court announced the cancellation of the public order placed by the Parcs d'Azur authority (armed arm of the metropolis to manage parking lots) with Atelier Missor.
This collective of local artists was responsible for creating the spectacular work in bronze, gilded with fine gold, for 170,000 euros without a call for tenders. This was not appreciated by the courts, denouncing a breach of “publicity and competitive bidding obligations”.
Neither one, nor two, Hugues Moutouh, the prefect of Alpes-Maritimes at the origin of the procedure, therefore made it known, shortly after the judgment, that he was asking the city to draw the consequences. Namely unbolting the sculpture and getting reimbursed for the sums paid to the service provider.
-Except that Mayor Christian Estrosi does not agree and launches his crusade. “I won’t give up anything. The debunkers of our great national destiny can move on,” he warned in a press release. To “save” Jeanne, “take charge of her financing” and keep her in front of the church, the elected official appeals to the generosity of the inhabitants by supporting a… popular subscription opportunely launched by a former deputy for culture and Prince Joachim Murat.
The imbroglio is likely to last a little. The Parcs d’Azur authority will appeal the court’s decision (this is not suspensive). In January 2024, a report was sent by an environmentalist municipal councilor to the Nice prosecutor on the conditions for awarding this contract.
