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Origin and history

The tomb of Tania Rachevskaya, located in the Montparnasse cemetery in Paris (14th arrondissement), is decorated with Le Baiser (1905), a stone sculpture by Constantin Brâncuși. This work, the largest in the series The Kiss (90 cm), depicts two lovers tied in a monolithic block, symbolizing eternal union. Ordered as a funeral stele for Tatiana Rachewskaya, a Ukrainian student killed in 1910, she was installed by Brâncuși, then unknown disciple of Rodin, for 200 francs. Unique version in direct and complete size (foot to head), it fell into oblivion before becoming a major heritage issue.

The Kiss was created in 1905, before the funeral order, as the first of a series of forty variants. Brâncuși gradually mastered its forms, but this Parisian version remains the only one designed for a memorial context. The stele, signed by the artist and engraved with the epitaph "to the dear darling", forms with sculpture a "building by nature", according to the Council of State (2021). This legal status, confirmed after 15 years of litigation, prohibits any separation of the work and the grave, classified as a historical monument in 2010.

The controversy broke out in 2005 when an art dealer contacted the six Ukrainian heirs of Rachewskaya, unaware of their property. Informed of the estimated value of $50 million, they demand an export certificate to sell Le Baiser. The Ministry of Culture refuses, classifying the work "National Treasure" and "Insectable" of its foundation. Despite a ruling by the Paris Court of Appeal (2020) in favour of heirs, the Conseil d'État decided definitively in 2021: sculpture, stele and tomb constitute a "indivisible ensemble". Today, Le Baiser is protected by a wooden box, an alarm and three cameras.

The tomb is located in Division 22 of the Montparnasse Cemetery, near Raspail Boulevard (angle rue Émile-Richard). Accessible from Raspail Metro Station, it embodies both a masterpiece of modern art and a symbol of tensions between heritage, property rights and art markets. Brâncuși expresses a universal vision of love, as his statement attests: "I wanted to evoke [...] all the couples in the world who knew love before leaving life. »

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