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Origin and history

The monument to the dead of Port Vendres is a stone sculpture by Aristide Maillol, inaugurated in 1923. In 1919, she was commissioned by the city to represent an elongated woman holding olive branches, a symbol of peace. This monument, inspired by an earlier project refused for the city of Aix-en-Provence, is part of a series of four commemorative works created by Maillol in his native department after the First World War.

Ranked a historic monument in 1994, the monument is located Place de l'Obelisque, opposite the port of Port-Vendres. A bronze copy, installed in 1964 in the Jardin du Carrousel aux Tuileries in Paris, bears witness to its artistic importance. The model used for sculpture is Dina Vierny, a frequent muse of Maillol. The work has undergone marine erosion and vandalism over the decades.

The monument also pays tribute to the cryptanalyst Étienne Bazeries, a native of Port-Vendres, whose commemorative plaque recalls contributions during the First World War. This monument is part of a larger collection of commemorative works by Maillol in the Pyrénées-Orientales, including Céret, Banyuls-sur-Mer and Elne, reflecting the profound impact of the conflict on the artist and his region.

The original materials (stone) and coastal location required restorations, while the Parisian bronze version allows a wider spread of this major work. The monument illustrates Maillol's sleek and humanist style, marked by rounded shapes and a peaceful symbolism, contrasting with the more warlike representations common in monuments to the dead of the time.

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