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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The statue of Jean-François Millet, installed in the public garden of Octeville (now Cherbourg-en-Cotentin), pays tribute to this realistic painter born in 1814 in the Hague. Originally from Gréville, Millet marked 19th-century art with his peasant scenes, such as Les Glauses or L-Angelus, becoming a major figure in Barbizon's school. His work, rooted in Norman rural life, influenced movements such as Impressionism.

The monument, erected in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, is the result of a public subscription launched in 1886. Originally designed by Henri Chapu, then completed by Jean-Ernest Bouteiller after Chapu's death, he combines a marble bust of the painter with a bronze allegory: a peasant and her child offering flowers, symbol of the themes dear to Millet. The granite pedestal evokes the landscapes of Gréville, its native village.

Ranked among the Historical Monuments in 2006, the statue embodies Cherbourg-en-Cotentin's attachment to its cultural heritage. Millet, trained in Cherbourg before settling in Paris and then Barbizon, drew inspiration for paintings such as Le Hameau Cousin or Le Puits de Gruchy. His social realism, mixing dignity and poetry, transcended borders, inspiring artists like Van Gogh or Dalí.

Millet's home in Gruchy, rebuilt in the same way, and the Thomas Henry Museum in Cherbourg today preserve its works, perpetuating its memory. The monument of the public garden is thus part of a heritage network celebrating this son of Normandy, whose art has raised the peasant condition to the rank of noble subject.

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