Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The monument to Étienne-Jules Marey, located on Place Marey in Beaune (Côte-d'Or), is an early 20th-century work made in tribute to the local scientist, pioneer of chronophotography and forerunner of cinema. Initiated in 1908 by Auguste Dubois, principal of Monge College, the project was financed by an international public subscription. The City of Beaune offered a land, and the realization was entrusted to architect Régis Jardel and the Burgundian sculptor Henri Bouchard, winner of the Prix de Rome. The monument, completed in 1911, was inaugurated on August 31, 1913 in the presence of personalities such as Finance Minister Charles Dumont and Mayor Jacques Vincent.

The monument, built of Puillenay stone, represents Marey sitting, originally holding a chronometer (now gone), surrounded by books evoking his publications and a recorder cylinder, key tool of his research. Facing him, a base decorated with galloping horses and a decomposed bird flight illustrates his work on movement. The inscription pays tribute to his academic credentials and his scientific contributions, particularly in medicine and physiology. The work, classified as a historical monument since 2022, embodies a modern vision of commemorative sculpture, combining naturalism and symbolism.

Étienne-Jules Marey (1830–1904), born in Beaune, was a major researcher in the study of movement, both human and animal, and made the first scientific film in 1889, six years before the Lumière brothers. The monument, designed without raised base, breaks with traditional codes by integrating decorative elements and scientific attributes directly related to its work. Henri Bouchard, a sculptor from Dijon, expresses his realistic style, inspired by Courbet or Millet, while innovative in architectural composition. The work also reflects the artistic advances of the time, where sculpture is freed from conventions to adapt to public space.

Originally classified in 2019 and finally in 2022, the monument is now owned by the municipality of Beaune. It reflects both Marey's scientific heritage and Bouchard's artistic audacity, which shook the standards of memorials. Marey Square, where it stands, perpetuates the memory of this learned Burgundy, whose works have marked the history of science and cinema.

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