Flying Frenchman sculpture

Public Art:  Flying Frenchman sculpture

Also known as: The Freedom Fighter

Sculptor: © Cesar Baldaccini (1921-1998)

Description: The enormous bronze sculpture 5m tall and 8.4m wide depicts the figure of a fighter with a weapon shielded by an enormous wing. The nozzle of the machine gun makes up the forelimb of a wing.

Funded by: The Flying Frenchman was  gifted to the people of Hong Kong by the Cartier Foundation in 1992

Date Unveiled: 1993

Location: The Flying Frenchman sculpture is located outside the Hong Kong Cultural Centre along Tsim Sha Tsui’s waterfront, in Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Controversy: The Flying Frenchman sculpture was originally named the “Freedom Fighter” but as one would expect in the 1990s in Hong Kong, it was misinterpreted by many as the artist’s response to the 1989  Tiananmen Square protests, commonly known as the June Fourth Incident, and the fight for a more democratic China. Under pressure from the government, the Cartier Foundation succumbed to their request and changed the sculpture’s name to Flying Frenchman, which is somewhat bemusing considering the sculpture depicts a man with one broken wing. The French sculptor Cesar Baldaccini was highly offended by the name change he refused the invite to the unveiling. This would be his last piece of public art before his death in 1998.

Things you may not know about the Flying Frenchman sculpture: On June the 4th every year candles are lit next to the sculpture to remember those who died during the Tiananmen Square protests.