A large bronze sculpture of a woman wearing a draped robe with her arms outstretched.

Daniel Arsham: Bronze Eroded Venus of Arles

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Daniel Arsham: Bronze Eroded Venus of Arles

Daniel Arsham has a particular interest in the passage of time and archaeology, which have influenced his Relics in the Landscape.

To make Bronze Eroded Venus of Arles Daniel Arsham took inspiration from a statue in the gallery of antiquities at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. Venus of Arles was carved in the 1st century BCE and was discovered in 1651. It shows a nude figure, with a robe wrapped and draped around her. The figure is thought to represent Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty.

The original statue was restored by the sculptor François Girardon, who added traditional objects associated with Aphrodite: an apple in her right hand and a mirror in the left. While Venus of Arles was made from marble, in reimagining this Greek deity Arsham uses bronze, patinated in shades of green and blue.

Nearby the enormous head of Unearthed Bronze Eroded Melpomene represents the Greek muse of tragedy. In drawing on these myths, Arsham points to enduring concerns in human life: love, finding beauty and joy, loss, sadness and tragedy.

Discover more about Daniel Arsham's Relics in the Landscape exhibition.

  • A man taking a photograph of a giant bronze sculpture of a naked woman, with eroded bronze crystallised sections.
  • A group of people and a guide looking at a bronze sculpture of a woman outdoors
  • A large bronze sculpture of a woman wearing a draped robe with her arms outstretched.

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