About
The requalification of the Seine quays has made it possible to restore a place to live, walk and meet, to erase the border caused by the continuity of the Chomedey-de-Maisonneuve and Georges-Vanier avenues, and to reduce road traffic that passes through both sides of the Champagne Bouchon without stopping.
This requalification has restored a legitimate historical value to the place of water in our city and marked the presence of the hyper-centre by reconnecting the head and body of the Champagne Cap.
Always more beautiful, Troyes welcomes two new statues created by the Belgian artist Tom Frantzen. Odes to life full of humour, "Wait for me" and "La Ribambelle Joyeuse" embellish the quays of Troyes.
They proudly display themselves on the banks of the Seine de Troyes canal. The bronze works of Tom Frantzen Attendez-moi, Quai Dampierre, and La Ribambelle Joyeuse, Quai La Fontaine, have been playing the starlets and delighting the hearts of walkers and tourists since the beginning of October.
The Belgian artist is known for his creations on the borderline between reality and fantasy, often installed in public spaces (Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Tervuren, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Antwerp, Steenokkerzeel, Tournai, Brussels...). With the Trojan sculptures Wait for me! and La Ribambelle Joyeuse, Frantzen, whose style is similar to a new form of Flemish fantasy art, offers a sometimes humorous, sometimes poetic look at art in the city.
Other sculptural beauties to admire
The specific order for these remarkable installations is part of the urban redevelopment and beautification policy for the City of Troyes. These works enrich an artistic journey initiated in 2012-2013 on the Trojan quays. Their requalification in 2011 has, over time, been accompanied by the installation of contemporary statues that offer ever more character and romance to these stroll spaces in the heart of the city, such as Le Cœur de Troyes (by Michèle Caillaud-Houël and Thierry Kayo), La Jeune fille qui donne un baiser (by Sjer Jacobs), Lili, la dame au chapeau (by Andràs Lapis).
Just recently, a sculpture in homage to Simone Veil, by Michèle Caillaud-Houël and Thierry Kayo, also took place in front of the former Hauts-Clos Hospital, renamed Simone-Veil Hospital.
* Wait for me! - This humorous and poetic work presents a small dog that frightens a group of birds and provokes their flight. The group of birds recalls the cranes, emblematic of the Aube department, which fly over it every year.
*La Ribambelle joyeuse - This set of sculptures represents a group of children accompanied by a penguin and a duck. Combining fantasy and Belgian humour, he is strongly influenced by Pieter Brueghel and Jérôme Bosch.