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Champs de Mars: The Red Tower

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Robert Delaunay French, 1885–1941

About this artwork

Robert Delaunay was four years old when the Eiffel Tower was erected in Paris in the public green space known as the Champ de Mars. One of many artists to depict the landmark, Delaunay did a series of Eiffel Tower paintings, of which the Art Institute’s example is among the best known. The artist infused the dynamism of modern life into this image by employing multiple viewpoints, rhythmic fragmentation of form, and strong color contrasts. Delaunay accented the structure’s towering presence by framing it with tall buildings and placing smaller, shorter buildings, seen from above, at its base. The top of the tower seems to soar, its massive structure augmented by winglike clouds and patches of light-filled sky.

The artist first showed this painting in the winter of 1912, at the Galerie Barbazanges in Paris, where Guillaume Apollinaire described the work in a review as “unfinished, whether by design or accident.” Although Delaunay’s intent is not recorded, it is certain that by 1923, when this work was illustrated in the pages of the Bulletin de l’effort modern , it looked as it does today: the artist had repainted portions of the canvas and filled areas of reserve with paint.

Date   Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Inscriptions, credit line, reference number, extended information about this artwork, publication history.

• Apollinaire, Guillaume, Les Fenêtres (Album edited by R. Delaunay) (Paris, 1912), pl. 3.
• Galerie Barbazanges, Les Peintres R. Delaunay, Marie Laurencin, exh. cat. (Paris: Galerie Barbazanges, 1912), cat. 5.
• Bulletin de L’Effort Moderne 6 (June 1924), n.p. (ill.), as La Tour Eiffel.
• Einstein, Carl, Die Kunst des 20 Jahrhunderts (Berlin: Im Propyläen, 1926), pp. 342 and 563 (ill.), as Der Eifelturm.
• Bazin, Germain, “L’Orphisme,” L’Amour de l’Art XIV:10 (December 1933), pp. 246 and 248, fig. 311, as La Tour Eiffel.
• Sociedade Pro Arte Moderna, Primero Exposição de Arte Moderna da Sociedade pro Arte Moderna: Pintura, Escultura, Arquitetura, exh. cat. (São Paolo, Brazil: Sociedade Pro Arte Moderna, 1933) (ill.), as Torre Eiffel.
• Zervos, Christian, Histoire de l’Art Contemporain (Paris: Éditions Cahiers d’Art, 1938), p. 247 (ill.), as La Tour Eiffel.
• “El Juicio de Paris,” Cuadernos Americanos 2:4 (July-August 1943), p. 59 (ill), as La torre Eiffel.
• do Amaral, Tarsila, “Recordações de Paris,” Habitat 6 (1952), p. 21 (ill.).
• Degand, Léon, “La Peinture Cubiste,” Art d’Aujourd’hui 3–4:4 (1953), p. 15 (ill.), as Torre Eiffel.
• Aznar, José Camón, Picasso y el Cubismo (Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, 1956), p. 142, fig. 83, as Tour Eiffel.
• Habasque, Guy, Robert Delaunay: Du Cubisme à l’Art Abstrait (Paris: S.E.V.P.E.N., 1957), pp. 261 and 362–363, no. 88, as La Tour Eiffel.
• Art Institute of Chicago Annual Report 53:3 (1958–1959), p. 10.
• Paintings in The Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1961), pp. 123–4, and 429 (ill.).
• Barry, Edward, “A Legacy that Grows—Winterbotham Collection,” The Chicago Tribune (August 25, 1963), p. F4, as Champ de Mars.
• Speyer, A. James, “Twentieth-Century Paintings and Sculpture,” Apollo LXXXIV:55 (September 1966), p. 222.
• Instituto de Arte de Chicago (El Mundo de los Museos) (Buenos Aires: Editorial Codex, 1967), pp. 14 and 71, no. 58 (ill.).
• Vriesen, Gustav and Max Imdahl, Robert Delaunay—Licht und Farbe (Cologne: M. DuMont Schauberg, 1967), p. 40.
• Amaral, Aracy A., Blaise Cendrars no Brasil e os modernistas (São Paolo, Brazil: Martins, 1970), pp. 106–107 and 114.
• Maxon, John, The Art Institute of Chicago (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1970), p. 111 (ill.).
• Grung, Sandra, Supplement to Paintings in The Art Institute of Chicago: A Catalogue of the Picture Collection (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1971), p. 29.
• Morin, Isabelle, Analyse Raisonné des Catalogues d’Exposition des Peintres Cubistes (1907–1914) (Paris: Institut d’art et d’archéologie, 1972), p. 15.
• Gordon, Donald E., Modern Art Exhibitions 1900–1916 (Munich: Prestel-Verlag, 1974), I: 211, no. 904, II: 553, 663, and 702–703.
• Amaral, Aracy A., Tarsila—sua obra e seu tempo (São Paolo: Editora Perspectiva, 1975), pp. 86, 115, note, 3, 117, 129, 179, 287, 467, and 487.
• Hoog, Michel, Robert Delaunay, trans. by Alice Sachs (New York: Crown Publishers, 1976), p. 19 (ill.).
• Rudenstine, Angelica, The Guggenheim Museum Collection: Paintings 1880–1945 I (New York: Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, 1976), pp. 104–107.
• Orangerie des Tuileries, Robert Delaunay (1885–1941), exh. cat. (Paris: Orangerie des Tuileries, 1976), pp. 21 and 54, cat. 29 (ill.).
• Hoog, Michel, “Robert Delaunay,” La Revue du Louvre et des Musées de France XXVI:2 (1976), p. 121, fig. 2.
• “Le puits et les fenêtres: Robert Delaunay,” L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui 187 (October–November 1976), p. XXI (ill.).
• Art Institute of Chicago: 100 Masterpieces (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1978), pp. 124–125, no. 72 (ill.).
• Buckberrough, Sherry Ann, Robert Delaunay: The Early Years, Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, 1978, pp. 131–132, 479, 570, pl. 102.
• Robert/Sonia Delaunay, exh. cat. (Tokyo: Musée National d’Art Moderne, 1979), n.p. (ill.).
• Speyer, A. James and Courtney Graham Donnell, Twentieth Century European Paintings (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980), p. 38, no. 1E2.
• d’Harnoncourt, Anne, Futurism and the International Avant-Garde, exh. cat. (Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1980), cat. 84 (ill.).
• Silk, Gerald D., “Futurism in Context,” Arts Magazine 55:6 (February 1981), p. 148 (ill.).
• Glaubinger, Jane, “A Double-Sided Drawing by Ludwig Meidner,” Bulletin of The Cleveland Museum of Art LXIX:9 (November 1982), p. 302, fig. 6.
• ___, “Two Drawings by Joseph Stella,” Bulletin of The Cleveland Museum of Art LXX:10 (December 1983), p. 383, fig. 3.
• Girardet, Sylvie, Claire Merleau-Ponty, and Anne Tardy, “Le muse de fer,” Monuments historiques 132 (April–May 1984), p. 31.
• Delaunay und Deutschland, exh. cat. (Cologne, Germany: Dumont Buchverlag, 1985), pp. 153, pl. 6, p. 293, fig. 2, 361, fig. f, and 362.
• Art Institute of Chicago, The Joseph Winterbotham Collection: A Living Tradition (Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 1986), pp. 13, 47 (ill.), and 60, as Champs de Mars (The Red Tower), 1911.
• David Travis, “In and Of the Eiffel Tower,” Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies 13:1 (1987), pp. 12, 14–15, fig. 11.
• Wood, James N. and Katharine C. Lee, Master Paintings in The Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 1988), p. 116 (ill.).
• Wohl, Robert, A Passion for Wings: Aviation and the Western Imagination, 1900–1918 (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1993), pp. 183–184, pl. 237.
• Wood, James N., Treasures of 19th-and 20th-Century Painting: The Art Institute of Chicago (New York: Abbeville Press, 1993), p. 209 (ill.).
• Düchting, Hajo, Robert und Sonia Delaunay: Triumph der Farbe (Cologne: Benedikt Taschen, 1993), pp. 24–25 and 93 (ill.).
• Masterworks of Modern Art from The Art Institute of Chicago, exh. cat. (Tokyo: Asahi Shimbun 1994), pp. 92–93, cat. 24 (ill.).
• Andreotti, Margherita, “The Joseph Winterbotham Collection,” The Art Institute of Chicago, Museum Studies 20:2 (1994), pp. 142–143 (ill.).
• Wood, James N. and Teri J. Edelstein, The Art Institute of Chicago: Twentieth-Century Painting and Sculpture (Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 1996, p. 6 (ill.).
• Murphy, Kevin D., “Cubism and the Gothic Tradition,” in Architecture and Cubism (Montreal, Québec: The Canadian Centre for Architecture, 1997), pp. 70–71 (ill.).
• Tarsila anos 20, exh. cat. (São Paulo, Brazil: Galeria de Arte do Sesi, 1997), p. 124.
• Tarsila do Amaral: Projeto Cultural Artistas do Mercosul (São Paulo, Brazil: Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, 1998), pp. 36–37 and 221 (ill.).
• Rosenthal, Mark, Visions of Paris: Robert Delaunay’s Series, exh. cat. (New York: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1998), pp. 32–33, and 35, cat. 30 (ill.).
• Gotlib, Nádia Battella, Tarsila do Amaral, a modernista (São Paulo, Brazil: Editora SENAC, 1998), pp. 164–165 and 166 (ill.).
• Art and its Histories: The Challenge of the Avant-Garde (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1999), pp. 161–162, pl. 127.
• Robert Delaunay 1906–1914: De L’Impressionisme à Abstraction, exh. cat. (Paris: Éditions du Centre Pompidou, 1999), pp. 137 and 147 (ill.).
• Amaral, Aracy, Tarsila Cronista (São Paulo, Brazil: Editora da Universidade de São Paulo, 2001), pp. 71–72, as Tour Eiffel.
• Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Robert y Sonia Delaunay, 1905–1941, exh. cat. (Madrid: Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza 2002), pp. 154–155, cat. 55 (ill.).
• Sotheby’s, New York, Russian Art (New York: Sotheby’s, April 23, 2004), p. 82, fig. 2, as The Eiffel Tower.
• Ingrid Pfeiffer, ed., Lyonel Feininger: Retrospective, exh. cat. (Frankfurt/Munich: Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt & Hirmer, 2023), 26, 27 (color ill.).

Exhibition History

• Paris, Galerie Barbazanges, Les Peintres R. Delaunay, Marie Laurencin, February 28–March 13, 1912, cat. 5.
• Berlin, Galerie der Sturm, XII Ausstellung: R. Delaunay, Ardengo Soffici, Julie Baum, February 1913, cat. 1.
• Budapest, Museum House, International Post-Impressionist Exhibition, April–May 1913, cat. 41.
• São Paolo, Brazil, Conservatório Dramático e Musical, June 12, 1924.
• São Paolo, Brazil, Sociedade Pro Arte Moderna, Primero Exposição de Arte Moderna da Sociedade pro Arte Moderna: Pintura, Escultura, Arquitetura, 1933 (ill.), as Torre Eiffel.
• Paris, Orangerie des Tuileries, Robert Delaunay (1885–1941), May 25–August 30, 1976, pp. 21 and 54, cat. 29 (ill.); traveled to Baden-Baden, Staatliche Kunsthalle, September 17–November 7, 1976.
• Philadelphia Museum of Art, Futurism and the International Avant-Garde, October 26, 1980–January 4, 1981, cat. 84 (ill.).
• Nagaoka, Japan, Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Masterworks of Modern Art from The Art Institute of Chicago, April 20–May 29, 1994, pp. 92–93, cat. 24 (ill.); traveled to Nagoya, Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, June 10–July 24, 1994, and Yokohama Museum of Art, August 6–September 25, 1994.
• New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Visions of Paris: Robert Delaunay’s Series, January 16–April 25, 1998, pp. 32–33, and 35, cat. 30 (ill.); traveled to Berlin, Deutsche Guggenheim, November 7, 1997–January 4, 1998.
• Paris, Centre Georges Pompidou, Robert Delaunay 1906–1914: De L’Impressionisme à Abstraction, June 3, 1999–August 16, 1999, pp. 137 and 147 (ill.).
• Madrid, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Robert y Sonia Delaunay, 1905–1941, October 8, 2002–January 12, 2003, pp. 154–155, cat. 55 (ill.).
• Fort Worth, Kimbell Art Museum, The Age of Picasso and Matisse: Modern Masters from the Art Institute of Chicago, Oct. 6, 2013–Feb. 16, 2014, no cat. no. 
• São Paulo, Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo, Visões da Arte no Acervo do Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo: 1900-1950, Oct. 4, 2017–June 14, 2018.
• Zürich, Kunsthaus Zürich, Robert Delaunay and the City of Lights, Aug. 31–Nov. 18, 2018.

The artist; sold through Galerie L’Effort Moderne, Paris, to Tarsila do Amaral (1886–1973), Paris and São Paolo, Brazil, 1923 [this and the following according to letter from Aracy A. Amaral, July 15, 1975, in curatorial file]; sold to the Galerie Michel Couturier, Paris, c. 1952. Sold through Justin K. Thannhauser, New York, to the Art Institute, 1959.

• 22  Robert Delaunay, Champs de Mars: The Red Tower, 1911/23
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Robert Delaunay

French Painter

Summary of Robert Delaunay

Robert Delaunay's colorful and formally experimental paintings were a unique fusion of early-20 th -century European artistic trends. His best-known works centered on the visually and intellectually stimulating world of Belle Époque Paris in which he and his wife, Sonia Delaunay (Terk) , founded the Orphism movement. The style was distinguished by faceted compositions, vibrant color, and contemporary subject matter that together conveyed delight in the modern life and its technological innovations.

Accomplishments

• Influenced by Neo-Impressionism and the painting technique known as pointillism or divisionism, in his early works Delaunay created forms using squares of color that resembled a mosaic. He often left small areas of canvas blank to create a sense of space and light; even at this stage of development his interest in brilliant color was notable.
• As his style matured, Delaunay further developed his mosaic-like squares into more complex geometric facets in which both solid objects and their surrounding spaces were fragmented, much like Cubism . These canvases are known for their dynamic sense of movement and their celebration of urban life, particularly Paris with Delaunay's oft-repeated motif of the Eiffel Tower.
• Delaunay penned his own theories of color in which he discusses both color as a material form and its great expressive power. He was particularly captivated by how the interaction of various colors generated impressions of movement and depth without allusion to nature. Delaunay wrote that the "breaking up of form by light creates colored planes... [that] are the structure of the picture... nature is no longer a subject for description but a pretext." Eventually, he abandoned "images or reality that come to corrupt the order of color" - thus turning to complete abstraction.

Important Art by Robert Delaunay

L'Homme à la tulipe (Portrait de Jean Metzinger)

This portrait is one of a series that Delaunay and Metzinger painted of each other during the summer of 1906, many of which have been lost. Delaunay's painting captures both the debonair air of Metzinger and their spirit of collaborative experimentation. This painting shows the influence of Neo-Impressionism and Divisionism on Delaunay's color as well as the influence of artists such as Edgar Degas and Édouard Manet in its unusual perspective. Like Seurat, Delaunay placed complementary and opposite colors adjacent to each other on the canvas rather than mixing paints on the canvas - creating the effect of a hue and the illusion of depth, while giving the works a sense of static classicism. Delaunay was not a slavish follower of Divisionism, however, since his brushstrokes are freer and less precise, and the color is not dictated by nature but is non-naturalistic, indicating Fauvist influences.

Oil on canvas

Saint Severin no 3

Saint Severin was the first major series of paintings created by Delaunay in 1909. Focusing on the Gothic ambulatory of this well-known Parisian church, he depicted the view multiple times from the same perspective - looking northeast to capture the effects of changing light as Monet had achieved with his analysis of the exterior of Rouen cathedral. Restricting himself to the subdued palettes the early Cubist works of Picasso and Braque, Delaunay also looked to these artists' use of fragmented planes and distorted form to structure his space. The result is a modern rendering of a Medieval church through a series of repeated arches framed by the cropped composition. Delaunay's technique involved studying the 'reactions of the retina while looking at the sun' - documenting the colors and contrasts created, as well as the distortions in architecture through modulations of light.

Oil on canvas - The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, New York

Red Eiffel Tower (La tour rouge)

Delaunay painted his first Eiffel Tower in 1909 to celebrate his engagement to Sonia Terk. He went on to produce around fifteen versions and the tower became a major motif for artists in recognition of the major role that technological development and innovation had on the first part of the 20 th century. The Cubist influence is present in both the fragmented panes of the composition and in the multiple viewpoints of the tower - by looking both up at it's towering height and down on to the smaller buildings. The rich red color is heightened in contrast to the pale blue background, which again emphasises the tower's dominance on the Parisian skyline. His work was described as a synthesis of Impressionism and Cubism but the dynamic robotic-like presence, wing-like forms and plumes of smoke or clouds are more reminiscent of the Futurist project. As Mark Rosenthal noted , 'Delaunay 'effectively replaced the pastoral landscape of the Impressionists with a modern paen of French glory" even reducing his color palette to the red, white, and blue of the French flag.

La Ville de Paris

This painting figured prominently in the art world of pre-World War I Paris and was one of the first acquisitions of Jean Cassou, a freelance journalist and later the director of the Museum of Modern Art during the turbulent days of the Socialist Blum government prior to World War II. First shown in the Salon des Independants in 1912, the work caused a sensation and was noted by Apollinaire to be an example of the new movement, Orphism. In 1913, the painting, along with other, smaller compositions, was sent to New York for the now infamous Armory Show. Sadly the work was never shown due to its great scale, causing indignation for the Delaunays and their close circle of friends. As is characteristic of his early work, Delaunay mixes codes and symbols of the city he lived in. Here though, he moves beyond the literal to the allegorical - presenting Paris through a montage of three nude women. The first presents Paris as the historical city, with a view of the Quai du Louvre in the background. The second depicts the classical Paris that is represented by a reference to the Judgment of Paris. The third and final panel is recognizable from Delaunay's previous Eiffel Tower series as the modern metropolis. This painting shows Delaunay's innovative grasp on time and space - themes he would explore further as he moved towards abstraction.

Oil on canvas - Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris

L'Équipe de Cardiff (The Cardiff Team)

For this work, Delaunay drew inspiration from a newspaper image of the Paris-Cardiff rugby match that took place in 1912. He produced several versions of the painting - combining representational elements with a fragmented, Cubist composition that shows the emergence of contrasting color planes and geometric forms of his later work. The motifs he employs all work to illustrate the visual landscape of pre-war Paris- branded hoardings, the Big Wheel, and the Eiffel Tower rising up majestically in the background. Off to one side, partially concealed and disguised as an advertising slogan, is Delaunay's name. The inclusion of visual and written symbols in the painting point to significant themes that were to preoccupy the artist throughout his career- the depiction of movement, technology, sport, and placing himself as a central figure within this dynamic new world.

Oil on canvas - Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris

Simultaneous Windows (2nd Motif, 1st Part) (Les fenêtres simultanées [2e motif, 1re partie])

The Simultaneous Windows series are Delaunay's last semi figurative works before he began experimenting with complete non-objectivity. Here we are looking through a window - the outline of the Eiffel Tower reveals itself beneath fragmented color panes, creating an illusion of depth along with the kaleidoscopic effect that was characteristic of Orphism. The palette is bright and the fluid blocks of color give the illusion of softness and movement. In 1911, Sonia had created a patchwork blanket for their son that famously inspired these works. The Windows series is characterized by a forward thinking and Futurist aesthetic but Delaunay also drew on earlier movements, the motif of looking through windows could be seen in works of the Impressionists and Fauvists and could also have been inspired by the Symbolist concept of a window onto the soul.

Endless Rhythm (Rythme sans fin)

Endless Rhythm was named by Sonia Delaunay as a way to describe the cyclical looping effect of the circular forms that seem to mimic the flow of electric currents. By 1930 Delaunay had returned to abstraction, producing the large spinning disc compositions for which he is perhaps best known. Building on his earlier experiments, Delaunay achieved the illusion of movement through juxtaposition of colors with geometric form. Delaunay carefully selected his colors to present subtle gradients and then contrasts these with the thick black and pale blue background. The diagonal composition enhances the effect of dynamism. A year after this painting was produced, the discs were brought to life on a monumental scale in his public murals for the Paris exposition.

Oil paint on canvas - Collection of the Tate, United Kingdom

Entrée du Hall des réseaux du palais des Chemins de fer

In 1937 the Delaunays began a new and very different project that would occupy them for almost an entire year when they were commissioned to create a series of murals for the Railway Pavilion and the Air and Aeronautics Pavilion at the Paris Exposition in collaboration with a team of painters. The theme that year was art and technology in modern life. In response,Delaunay chose to recreate the results of his earlier experimentation with simultaneity and chromatic color - this time on an unprecedented scale. Each panel took a different form; inspired by his earlier work in sand, stone, and sculpture. Delaunay imagined repetitive forms, conflicting shapes and endless color palettes to set the room in motion, in homage to new visions of the world afforded by technological innovations. The murals were hung in the entrance to the Musée d'Art Moderne in 1977 in honor of Delaunay's earlier contributions to abstract art.

Centre Pompidou, Musée national d'art moderne, Paris

Propelled on by the success of the Exposition commission, a year later Delaunay produced another major commission, this time for the Salon de Tuileries. Again reminiscent of aeroplane propellers, and the swirls and plumes that surround them in motion, this painting evokes the artist's love of speed and technology, as well as his renewed commitment to pure abstraction. It also illustrates his application of color theory. By using the large scale he had become comfortable with, Delaunay heightened the visual sensation of the work by creating simultaneous form and depth rather than descriptive reality. This was to be Delaunay's last major piece before the couple fled Paris for the south of France, where Robert died a premature death just three years later.

Oil on canvas - Centre Pompidou, Musée national d'art moderne, Paris

Biography of Robert Delaunay

Robert Delaunay was born in 1885 to eccentric upper class parents, George Delaunay and Berthe Félicie de Rose. His mother, an irresponsible character fond of society life, called herself 'Countess' though the authenticity of her claims to French aristocracy are in question. His early life in Paris was privileged yet strained - his parents divorced when Delaunay was just four years old and he barely saw his father after this. Taken in by his aunt and uncle, he was raised in a grand estate in La Ronchère near Bourges, by coincidence mirroring the childhood experience of his future wife, Sonia, also brought up by a wealthy uncle and aunt in St Petersburg.

Early Training

The young Delaunay was a lackluster student, spending classes painting with watercolors behind his desk lid. He lacked formal artistic training, but was sent by his uncle to Ronsin's Atelier, to apprentice in theatre design at Belleville. Here he learned to create large scale theatre sets, which would inform his later stage and mural work.

In 1903 Delaunay traveled to Brittany, where he became acquainted with Henri Rousseau and turned to painting, inspired initially by the work of the Pont Aven Group who had painted there from 1886-88. On returning to Paris, Delaunay met artist, Jean Metzinger . The two became close friends and produced a series of small mosaic-like compositions inspired by the Divisionist techniques of Georges Seurat . Their experiments were noted in an article by the critic Louis Vauxcelles in 1907.

In 1909 Delaunay chanced upon a passionate young artist named Sonia Terk, who went on to become his wife and collaborator for the next 30 years, forming one of the most remarkable creative partnerships in art history. A wealthy Russian emigre who had recently come to Paris to train at the Academy de la Palais, Terk was already married to the homosexual German art critic and gallery owner, Wilhelm Uhde in a marriage of convenience. She and Robert began a passionate affair and when she became pregnant, Uhde willingly consented to a divorce. She married Delaunay the following year and quickly realized that the impetuous and childlike Delaunay would not be a conventional husband or father: for the majority of their married life, she would be the main breadwinner for their family. The newlyweds rented an apartment on the Rue des Grandes Augustins, the same street where Pablo Picasso lived, and embraced the exciting new world around them. They painted together, drawing inspiration from the vivid colors and patterns they saw in the electric lights on the Boulevard St Michel, where they strolled in the evenings.'We breathed painting like others lived in alcohol or crime,' Sonia was to later write in her diary.

Mature Period

Pre World War I Paris was at the epicenter of the avant-garde movement. Delaunay immersed himself in the world of aesthetic discovery, innovation, and experimentation that was exploding around him. He exhibited alongside many of the key players in Paris at the Salon D'Automne (1903,1906) and at the Salon des Independants from 1904 -14, developing an increasing fascination with color as a subject in itself. He sought to interpret the modern city through color and rhythm. In 1911, Sonia gave birth to their only son, Charles, and a year later, at age 27, Delaunay had his first solo show at the Galerie Barbazanger in Paris. His work was admired by German Expressionists Wassily Kandinsky , August Macke and Franz Marc . In 1912, he was invited by Kandinsky to exhibit at the first Blaue Reiter exhibition in Germany, as well as to contribute to Der Sturm , the prestigious almanac produced by the group.

Delaunay believed in gestural, grandiose painting and would have frenzied periods of productivity, working from dawn till dusk, sometimes not bathing for days. In between these bouts, he would not touch a brush, instead taking long walks and taking care of his plants. His Eiffel tower series painted during this time gained considerable attention from the art world, leading to inclusions in major exhibitions and group shows in Europe, notably in the Cubist Room at the Salon des Independents with Metzinger. Following this show, his work became increasingly non-objective leading to the emergence of motifs that Delaunay is known for today such as spinning circles and the geometric forms of his windows. In response to his work, critic Andre Warnod wrote of a 'blossoming new school' that broke with the art of Cubism. The same year his close friend and poet, Guillaume Apollinaire , coined the term 'Orphism' to describe Delaunay's paintings, as well as those of Sonia and artist, Frantisek Kupka. The name, derived from the Greek mythological lyre-playing Orpheus likened the painters' energy to a primal urge for creation. Apollinaire also wrote that Picasso occupied one camp and Delaunay the other - with Kandinsky and Duchamp as his followers. This over embellishment of his achievements caused a stir. In fact, Delaunay preferred to call his work 'simultaneous' rather than 'orphic', as he felt this evoked the spirit of the new age, but this too caused controversy for Delaunay as the Italian Futurists claimed this concept as their own.

Though Delaunay had gained support for his work, his attention-seeking, outspoken personality was exhausting and Sonia often had to mediate when he antagonized others with egocentric claims such as 'before me color was only coloring'. Gertrude Stein captured his personality succinctly when she wrote: 'he sees himself as a grand solitary figure when in reality he's an endless chatterbox who will tell anyone about himself and his significance any time of day or night'. During this period, Delaunay's short temper alienated both students and colleagues.

On Sundays the Delaunay's opened up their home to artists, poets, musicians, and writers that included Henri Rousseau, Metzinger, Guillaume Apollinaire, Fernand Léger , Albert Gleizes, Henri Le Facconnier, and Blaise Cendrars. On Thursdays the group would dance at the Bal Bullier in Montparnasse, turning up late to make an entrance wearing the outlandish simultaneous designs created by Sonia. The Delaunays were always center stage with Sonia in elaborate multi colored dresses and Robert in matching suits of scarlet, green, and other garish colors. The group would also wear multi colored socks so they could dance the tango with no shoes. Their outfits were described as 'Futuristic' by Giacomo Balla and attracted international media attention; Sonia's designs were described by Apollinaire as turning 'fantasy into elegance'. Like the Futurists, Robert was obsessed with the new era of technology and speed, and would frequently visit the St Cloud airship outside Paris. From here came the inspired work 'Homage to Bleriot' in 1914- an 'allegory of the new age' as well as an illustration of his theory that color could become form and subject.

The Delaunays were on vacation when World War I broke out in August 1914, but unlike the others in their circle they stayed as far from the fighting as possible, firstly in Portugal then in neutral Northern Spain. Robert did finally enlist in 1916, but was declared unfit for service due to a large heart and collapsed lung. In 1917, Sonia's income was cut off at the outbreak of the Russian Revolution and she turned to fashion design to provide for her family, setting up her own boutique, Casa Sonia. This proved a lucrative period for both artists when Robert met the Russian exile, Sergei Diaghilev and the rest of the Ballet Russes, which had been somewhat depleted by war. Robert was commissioned to design and make the stage set for their next performance while Sonia created the costumes.

In 1920 the Delaunays returned to Paris, where Sonia established herself as a successful fashion designer, so Robert could pursue his art. They rented a grand apartment and resumed their Sunday salons - pulling in a new group of young artists including Tristan Tzara , Francis Picabia , André Breton , Jean Cocteau , and Jean and Sophie Arp . The apartment became a living, breathing simultaneous artwork as their Dada and Surrealist friends adorned the walls with paintings, poems, and signatures. However, as always they were living beyond their means and bailiffs were frequent visitors to the apartment; in 1922 money was so tight that Sonia had to sell their Henri Rousseau painting The Snake Charmer to the Louvre for 50,000 francs. With this Robert bought their first car, and in doing so found the one pastime that would relax him - driving. The Delaunays were known for their progressiveness- owning a car, telephone, and radio before any of their friends as well as being the first to re-establish links with German artists after World War I. However, artistically Robert was lagging behind his entrepreneurial wife - he had not exhibited since 1913 except for a solo show in 1922 that had little success despite the loyal attendance of his new Surrealist friends.

Late Years and Death

By the mid 1930s, Robert's reputation had dwindled and he was in a cycle of producing unfinished works that lacked conviction. He spent time conducting his, what seemed to be fruitless, research into developing new pigments and using stone and sand to make lacquer. During the late 1920s he had turned to figurative work, then back to complete abstraction. A low point was the creation of a nude for the lounge of the embassy room at the Exposition Universale of 1925, which was deemed inappropriate and taken down. The same year they both turned 40 and Sonia - now a very successful designer who ran 30 boutiques, began to pine for the painting of her earlier career. Robert encouraged this return to intellectual curiosity saying, ' to produce is great, but we must also promote our ideas'. With the crash of Wall Street in 1929, fashion couture declined as it became 'bad taste to look rich'. Sonia made the decision to close her boutique and the couple gave up their apartment, declaring 'We'll paint and we'll live like before'.

Money was tight and both artists were encouraged to register for unemployment by friends, but Robert's pride prevented this. The couple joined the Abstraction Creation group in 1932 and four years later were invited to take part in the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne of 1937, with an emphasis on public art. Robert took charge of the project, working with fifty unemployed artists in a large garage to produce huge murals for the aeronautical pavilion, with the theme of the romance of railway travel. During this period they 'lived like monks' according to Sonia, with Robert showing a renewed energy and commitment to the project. His previous experiments with stone proved to be invaluable as he developed ways to produce murals that were resilient to the elements. The show was a success, and Robert's pavilion received very positive reviews by those who saw it. However, it was overshadowed by the overwhelming success of Picasso's Guernica in the same show - adding fuel to the longstanding envy he had for the Spanish artist.

The International Exposition brought the Delaunays back in demand and a year later, Robert produced what would be his last series- decorations for the Sculpture Hall at Salon des Tuileries. With these successes behind them, the couple made exciting plans to travel to New York, but timing was against them and with World War II looming they fled to the South of France to avoid the Nazi invasion. The move was detrimental to Robert's deteriorating health and he died from cancer in 1941 in Montpellier, France. Sonia went on to live for another thirty years, and with their son, Charles, managed Robert's estate, and paid tribute to Robert's memory through her work.

The Legacy of Robert Delaunay

Robert Delaunay's reputation fluctuated throughout his life and after his death, so it is a challenge to map his legacy in modern art history. However, it is without a doubt in the heady pre-World War I days that his influence on other artists and writers was most pronounced. His text 'Note on the Construction of Reality in Pure Painting' (1912) was seen by many critics as fundamental in the evolution of abstract art theory; in one article Apollinaire even credits Delaunay with influencing Picasso's use of light. Whether or not this was entirely accurate, it is certain that during 1912-13 Delaunay was seen by many as occupying a contradictory and equivocal position in relation to Cubism, something which inspired young artists looking for new directions. One such example was the young American, Morgan Russell, who saw the vibrant color harmonies of Delaunay's canvases in 1912. Soon afterwards, Russell founded the Synchronist movement with Stanton McDonald Wright, which expanded on the color theory of Michel Chevreul and Ogden Rood, as Delaunay himself had done. Later however, Russell and Wright denied all connections with Orphism.

Similarly contentious was Delaunay's relationship to Futurism . His incorporation of modern architecture into a fragmented, dynamic pictorial space suggests a role in the development of Futurist visual language, particularly evident in Umberto Boccioni 's Simultaneous Visions (1912). The Italian artist had in fact visited Paris in 1911 and would have seen Delaunay's Saint Severin and Eiffel Tower series. At the time both movements rejected any comparison but after the artist's death, Fernand Leger was to declare 'It was with Robert Delaunay on our side that we joined the battle' [towards abstraction] (1949).

After Delaunay exhibited his work at the first Der Blaue Reiter exhibition, he caused a stir : the blocks of vivid color Klee went on to employ in his Tunisian watercolors (1914) are reminiscent of Delaunay's Windows series, and critic, Theodore Daubler, actually referred to him as the 'first known Expressionist' in 1916. Other commentators point to links with Die Brucke . For Mark Rosenthal, the distorted expressionist forms in Delaunay's Saint Severin can be clearly seen in the art of Lyonel Feininger, Ernst Kirchner's street scenes, and in the film sets for Robert Weine's Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920).

Delaunay's close connections with Kandinsky, Hans Hoffman, and Diego Rivera during his lifetime also suggest a possible link with Abstract Expressionism, as these were all prominent figures in the development of the New York School in the 1940s. Delaunay's innovative use of encaustic wax (developed when he had no access to art materials in Spain), large scale architectural painting ( The City of Paris , the 1930s murals) and color as a vehicle for expression can be indirectly linked to the work of Jackson Pollock , Barnett Newman , and Mark Rothko .

By 1945, just four years after his death, Delaunay's name was virtually unknown. His wife, Sonia, was by then well-established in her design career and she worked tirelessly to restore her late husband's reputation as a pioneer of abstract art. She persuaded galleries to show his work and in 1963 donated 114 of his works to the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris, helping to place his name back in the public consciousness. However, it is in her vast body of work where his most direct legacy lies. She kept their shared theories of simultaneity alive through her prolific production of clothing, household objects, book binding, fabrics, and painting, all characterized by colorful abstract forms that were reminiscent of Robert's earlier Orphic works.

Influences and Connections

Useful Resources on Robert Delaunay

• 1906-1914 De L'Impressionisme a L'Abstraction By Pascal Rousseau, Jean-Paul Ameline
• The New Art of Color (The Documents of 20 th -century art) Our Pick By Robert Delaunay, Sophie Delaunay, and Arthur A. Cohon
• Robert Delaunay: Light and Color By Gustav Vriesen, Max Imdhal, and Maria Pelikan
• Robert and Sonia Delaunay: The Triumph of Color By Hajo Duchting, Robert Delaunay, and Sonia Delaunay
• Resisting Abstraction: Robert Delaunay and Vision in the Face of Modernism Our Pick By Gordon Hughes
• Online collection
• Envisioning Abstraction: The Simultaneity of Robert Delaunay's First Disk Our Pick By Gordon Hughes / The Art Bulletin / 2007
• Sonia Delaunay Our Pick By David Seidner / BOMB Magazine / July, 1981
• Robert Delaunay, "Simultaneous Contrasts: Sun and Moon" The Khan Academy
• Archive Grid Papers relating to Sonia and Robert Delaunay, c. 1960-81

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Content compiled and written by Sarah Jenkins

Edited and published by The Art Story Contributors

Masterpiece Story: The Red Tower by Robert Delaunay

James W Singer 2 April 2024 min Read

Robert Delaunay, Champs de Mars: The Red Tower , 1911-1923, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Detail.

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When people speak of Paris, the Eiffel Tower is probably the first thing that flashes into the imagination. It is the iconic symbol of Paris . Robert Delaunay captures this celebrated structure in his painting, Champs de Mars: The Red Tower . The famous 19th-century building is boldly interpreted through Delaunay’s eyes in a 20th-century Modernist perspective. The Eiffel Tower takes on new meaning but remains the timeless classic we all still love and adore.

When Robert Delaunay began painting Champs de Mars: The Red Tower in 1911, the Eiffel Tower was only 22 years old. Therefore, it was still considered a new addition to the skyline of Paris. It was completed by the “Magician of Iron”, Gustave Eiffel, in 1889, and was to be revealed to the world at the Exposition Universelle , or World’s Fair. The Eiffel Tower was immediately striking as the world’s tallest structure, a title it held for 41 years until 1930. It is constructed of wrought iron and stands 1063 feet above the city.

It was also a shocking example of the rising prominence of realist, rationalist, and functionalist architecture that was spreading throughout the world. No longer was a building’s form and function hidden behind decorative façades. Now its structural integrity could be boldly displayed as part of its overall appearance. The Eiffel Tower was a massive symbol of the rapidly urbanized and industrialized society of Paris.

The 19th century was a time of massive changes, especially in Paris. For 30 years, Baron Haussmann was literally destroying and rebuilding history. Architects Henri Labrouste and Joseph Paxton were building skeletal, iron structures such as the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève (1843-50) and the Crystal Palace (1850-51). The Eiffel Tower was the next step in this architectural progression towards Modernism .

Its open-frame body with iron girders was a dramatic departure from the Neoclassical styles of the early 19th century. However, despite its dramatic design and initial rejection by the Parisian “elite”, it quickly became a symbol of 19th-century Paris. It stood for the city’s traditions, beliefs, hopes, and dreams.

Robert Delaunay’s Champs de Mars: The Red Tower may depict a 19th-century cityscape, but not in the traditional 19th-century style of painting. His painting is thoroughly Modernist and rejects conservative and realistic depictions of the Tower. He does not aim to portray it as the eye sees it, but to depict its essence, character, and form.

It is a painting rejecting linear perspective and realistic shading and is not photographic in any sense. It embraces the dissection of forms, shapes, and colors by holding to most of the tenets of Cubism . This is an art form proudly supported by famous artists like Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque . However, Robert Delaunay is not simply a follower of Cubism. He embraces dramatic colors following the school of Orphism, which consists of fantastically vibrant colors. Cubism, however, tends to follow a more somber color palette of browns and blacks. Orphism holds hands with Cubism but is not married to it.

The Eiffel Tower was not always the bronze color it is today. It has been painted 18 times and in many colors including red-brown, yellow-ocher, and chestnut-brown. When Champs de Mars: The Red Tower was painted, the tower was red-brown, which is why the Eiffel Tower dominates the center of the canvas in its bold shades of red and orange. It sharply contrasts the grey and white buildings surrounding its base and flanking its sides. The homogeneous buildings act as a frame for the Tower, and this framing augments its importance in the scene.

The Eiffel Tower is in fragments, a collection of colorful splinters; and like the shards of a broken mirror, the Tower’s pieces still retain some of their original character. We can tell that we are looking at the Eiffel Tower through the scene’s implications and not only through its actual appearance. The Tower’s shards loosely collect into a familiar outline while the brackets and girders of its feet and body are loose and sporadic. Its platforms imply its stories, but they are tilted and unstable. Everything speaks of the actual Eiffel Tower without capturing its photographic appearance.

Robert Delaunay’s Champs de Mars: The Red Tower has a multitude of rhythms and patterns; such as the lines that repeat themselves throughout the scene forming sympathetic and antagonistic patterns. Similar colors are in harmony, while dissimilar colors are in dissonance. It is as though bright strokes break into a wide spectrum-like light that is passing through a glass prism.

The diagonal lines of the Eiffel Tower repeat in the parallel lines of the blue sky, and these lines contrast with the vertical and horizontal lines of the surrounding buildings. The red and orange hues play among themselves creating depth and interest. The Tower’s colors also stand out against the somber and muted shades of the grey and white buildings. The grid of windows and ledges further add to the Tower’s dynamic structure. This, by far, makes the Eiffel Tower the most eye-catching element of the painting since it has so much contrast from its environment.

This important artwork also imparts a social timeline. When Champs de Mars: The Red Tower was completed in 1923, France was forever changed; World War I had ravaged humanity and taken countless lives. The be lle époque or “beautiful period”, lasting from 1871 to 1914, was officially over; and a France of optimism, of peace, and of prosperity was killed alongside millions of soldiers during the war .

A sense of innocence and naivety was lost, and a more savage and destructive world was revealed. Shell-shock was real, and it reverberated throughout the paintings of the period. The violent motions of shape and color chosen by Robert Delaunay in this piece reflect the social collapse of the old order. The Tower still stands in the painting, but it is broken and fragmented, just like post-WWI France. Like a favorite vase that is smashed and glued back together, post-WWI society could never be as it was before the war. Despite it appearing whole again, the cracks will always be visible and present.

Robert Delaunay painted Champs de Mars: The Red Tower during a period of great social, economic, and political transition. Architecture was rapidly evolving, society quickly changing, and countries swiftly rebelling. French Orphism and Cubism influenced Italian Futurists and German Expressionists . The Eiffel Tower had overtaken Notre-Dame as the symbol of Paris, and the Jazz Age had overtaken the belle époque. Change was the spirit of the age.

Robert Delaunay’s Champs de Mars: The Red Tower is a masterpiece in capturing this spirit. It reflects on the past while it also views the present and hopes for the future. The Art Institute of Chicago is blessed to have such a great work among its collection. And you should view it the next time you are in the Windy City. You will not regret it.

Bibliography

Beckett, Wendy, Patricia Wright, Sister Wendy’s 1000 Masterpieces,  London: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 1999.

Champs de Mars: The Red Tower , The Art Institute of Chicago Online Collection. Accessed May 20, 2020.

Charles, Victoria, Joseph Manca, Megan McShane, and Donald Wigal, 1000 Paintings of Genius,  New York, NY: Barnes & Noble Books, 2006.

Field, D. M., The World’s Greatest Architecture: Past & Present,  New York City, NY: Barnes & Noble Books, 2002.

Gardner, Helen, Fred S. Kleiner, and Christin J. Mamiya, Gardner’s Art Through the Ages,  12th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2005.

Painting the Eiffel Tower , La Tour Eiffel, February 10, 2020.

• 19th Century
• 20th century
• Robert Delaunay

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James W Singer

James W. Singer is an art historian and fine art photographer.  He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the University of Florida. He later moved to Paris, France. He currently writes “Masterpiece” articles for DailyArt Magazine.

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Du rouge au brun, comment la tour Eiffel a changé de couleur au fil du temps

Depuis sa construction, la tour Eiffel a plusieurs fois changé de couleur. - BFMTV

Sa silhouette s'étire dans le ciel de Paris depuis près de 130 ans, pourtant, les Parisiens de l'époque n'ont pas connu la même Tour Eiffel que nous. Les photos en noir et blanc de son inauguration en 1889 ne peuvent pas en témoigner, mais à ses débuts, la Tour Eiffel était en fait rouge. 

Depuis sa construction, le monument a été habillé de différentes nuances de couleurs. Après le "brun rouge" en 1889, elle est repeinte en "ocre brun" en 1892. En 1899, elle passe au jaune. Cinq couleurs en dégradé habillent alors la tour, du jaune-orange à la base, au jaune clair au sommet.

Le "brun tour Eiffel" adopté en 1968

Après un nouvel habillage en "rouge brun" dans les années 1950, c'est finalement en 1968 que le brun qu'elle arbore aujourd'hui vient colorer la tour. Cette couleur, le "brun tour Eiffel" a été spécialement conçue pour le monument et est réservée à son seul usage. Cette couleur a été choisie afin de s'harmoniser avec le paysage parisien. 

Toutefois, la tour n'est pas peinte d'une même couleur uniforme. Le brun tour Eiffel est dégradé en trois tons, du plus foncé au pied du monument, au plus clair au sommet.

Pourquoi faut-il repeindre la tour Eiffel?

Dans le cadre des travaux de rénovation de la dame de fer, le monument sera prochainement repeint. Tous les sept ans, une campagne de peinture est lancée, une opération qui permet par l'application de plusieurs couches de protéger la tour de l'oxydation. En 1900 dans son ouvrage La Tour de 300 mètres, Gustave Eiffel prévenait d'ailleurs que "les soins" apportés à la peinture du monument "sont la seule garantie de sa durée". A l'époque, repeindre la tour Eiffel est un exercice à haut risque, les peintres évoluent sans protection et à main nue sur les façades de fer du monument. 

La prochaine campagne de peinture sera particulière, la tour devra être décapée des 19 couches de peinture ajoutées depuis sa création, indique Le Parisien . Ce chantier qui doit durer des mois sera réalisé sous confinement, pour un budget de 60 millions d'euros. En parallèle, tout le dispositif d'accueil de la tour Eiffel va être revu et un mur de protection pare-balles installé aux pieds de la dame de fer pour un budget total de 300 millions d'euros sur 15 ans.

une journée de fête pour les 300 millions de visiteurs

Pour célébrer ses 300 millions de visiteurs depuis 1889, la tour Eiffel propose ce jeudi des animations toute la journée.

A partir de 17h30, des bracelets seront offerts aux visiteurs pour leur permettre de remporter des cadeaux (coupes de champagne, macarons, souvenirs...).

De 18h à 23h, la musique envahira la tour avec jazz band sur le parvis, trompettistes au 2e étage et quatuor de flûtes au sommet.

De 19h30 à 23h, un DJ set est proposé gratuitement au 1er étage par l'escalier pour les 1.500 premiers arrivants.

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The Eiffel Tower and its restaurants welcome you all summer.

July 18-25 : reservation mandatory for the Eiffel Tower and the restaurants, QR Code not mandatory. Choose the “Free Esplanade” ticket to access the monument ticket offices and buy your ascent ticket.

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ArtRealSize™

SKU: 6128 Creator: Robert Delaunay Date: 1911–12 Original Medium: oil on canvas Original Size: 49 1/4 x 35 3/8 in. Location: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Red Eiffel Tower (La tour rouge)

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by: Robert Delaunay - Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

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We use the highest quality wood in our modern shop to create custom frames, frame your print with precision-cut acid-free mat board, and mount it behind a UV-blocking semi-gloss plexiglass to protect your art from the sun, dust, pollution, heat, and humidity. Then we add finishing touches like a wall hanging mount, wall friendly bumpers and a protective backing.

Please note that the images of frames displayed here are meant to be representative of those used in our custom-framed products, but may not exactly match the ones in the actual products.

Collection: Available in Canvas Style: Cubism

All orders are printed per order. Prints are shipped approximately 1 to 3 business days after order is placed.

Framed prints are shipped approximately 7-10 business days after order is placed.

Return Policy

Item can be returned within 30 days or if damaged in shipping. For any items damaged in shipping, the shipping box must be retained in order for us to process a refund or exchange. View the full return policy .

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Fast French

le tour & la tour

Unraveling the Distinction: “Le Tour” vs. “La Tour” in French

There are a few words (homonyms) in French where the same word with the same spelling exists, but there is one meaning for the masculine version and a completely different meaning for the feminine version. So when speaking or listening, it is important to distinguish between the masculine and the feminine versions.

Le Tour (masculine )

Meaning and Usage: “Le tour” is a masculine noun in French, and its primary meaning refers to a “turn,” “tour,” or “spin.” This term finds its application in various contexts, including sports, games, and everyday activities. Here are some examples of its usage:

• Sports: “C’est à ton tour de jouer au tennis” (It’s your turn to play tennis).
• Cooking: “Ajoutez le sucre au mélange et mélangez bien avant de continuer le tour” (Add the sugar to the mixture and mix well before continuing the process).
• Travel: “Nous avons fait le tour du monde en un an” (We traveled around the world in a year).

Etymology: The etymology of “le tour” can be traced back to the Latin masculine noun “tornus,” meaning “lathe” or “turning.” Over time, this evolved into Old French as “torn,” and eventually, the modern form “tour” emerged. The word “tour” retained its masculine gender in French.

La Tour (feminine)

Meaning and Usage: In contrast, “la tour” is a feminine noun in French, signifying a “tower.” As an architectural element, a tower often stands tall, commanding attention and admiration. Here are some examples of its usage:

• Landmarks: “La Tour Eiffel est un emblème de Paris” (The Eiffel Tower is an emblem of Paris).
• Fairy Tales: “Il était une fois une princesse emprisonnée dans une haute tour” (Once upon a time, there was a princess imprisoned in a tall tower).
• Defensive Structures: “Le château est entouré de remparts et de plusieurs tours” (The castle is surrounded by ramparts and several towers).

Etymology: The etymology of “la tour” is linked to the Latin feminine noun “turris,” which translates to “tower” or “citadel.” As Old French evolved, “turris” became “tor,” and ultimately, in modern French, it evolved into “tour.” The word “tour” kept its feminine gender from the Latin original.

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“Tourner autour du pot” is a French idiom that literally means “to turn around the pot.” In plain English, it means to hesitate, to avoid the main topic, to seek advantage in a roundabout way, or to procrastinate. This saying dates from the 15th century, when it originally meant someone who seeks to gain undue advantage….

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La Tour Eiffel (The Eiffel Tower)

Robert delaunay 3958, museum folkwang essen, germany.

With his depiction of the Eiffel Tower , the symbol of Paris built in 1889 as a spectacular example of French engineering, Robert Delaunay produced a shocking scenario of the decline and fall of the modern world. His admiration for industrial progress contrasts with his pictorial destruction of the architectural construction, to the point of a formal dissolution of the motif. Its only remaining relation to the city is the view of the curved paths on the Champ de Mars . The tower itself, exploded into schematic pieces, traverses the painting diagonally, its tip covered by prism-like clouds. Delaunay dedicated this painting, part of a series of about 15 of the Eiffel Tower, to his friend, the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, who wrote ardent poems and texts on the artist's work and on the modern metropolis of Paris.

• Title: La Tour Eiffel (The Eiffel Tower)
• Creator: Robert Delaunay
• Creator Lifespan: 1885/1941
• Provenance: Acquired in 1964 with the support of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
• Type: Painting
• Rights: © Museum Folkwang
• Medium: Oil on canvas
• Höhe: 130 cm
• Collection: Painting, Sculpture, Media Art
• Breite: 97 cm

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On a testé « Tour Eiffel Effect », l’expérience de réalité virtuelle au premier étage de la Dame de fer

À partir de ce 10 juillet, les visiteurs du monument peuvent s’offrir une expérience immersive de réalité virtuelle de douze minutes dans laquelle ils partent en mission sur la tour. Elle est gratuite jusqu’au 22 juillet, ensuite ce sera de 9 à 15 euros.

À bord d’un Zeppelin, la vue est imprenable sur la tour Eiffel et le tout-Paris. On en profite quand soudain, les deux étages supérieurs du monument semblent se consumer et disparaissent. Une anomalie temporelle qu’il s’agit de résoudre. Ce mardi 9 juillet au matin, nous avons pu enfiler un casque de réalité virtuelle pour plonger en avant-première dans l’univers rétro futuriste de « Tour Eiffel Effect », l’expérience immersive qui s’installe à partir de ce 10 juillet au premier étage de la Dame de fer.

Situé au-dessus de la boutique — où l’on peut se procurer les billets, gratuitement jusqu’au 22 juillet, le temps que les équipes se rodent, puis au prix de 9 à 15 euros, à payer en plus de l’accès au monument — un espace aveugle a été aménagé spécialement. Au sol douze points de couleur, comme le nombre maximum de participants simultanés à l’aventure. Dans un premier temps, ils seront huit toutes les vingt minutes, par groupe de quatre.

Quatre, donc, à chausser son casque pour basculer dans l’univers fantasmé des créateurs du jeu. Vêtu d’une redingote de couleur bleue, verte, rouge ou jaune, d’un haut-de-forme et de lunettes d’aviateur, nous voici en mission afin de sauver la tour Eiffel. Le dirigeable nous a approchés de l’édifice qu’on découvre en construction. D’un vol, nous voici foulant le plancher du premier étage au milieu d’ouvriers à l’œuvre.

On en prend plein les yeux

Une manette dans chaque main dont les gâchettes servent à avancer — viser le sol puis cliquer — à actionner des leviers ou tourner des manivelles afin de dégager le passage, ou à désintégrer les « glitchs ». Ce sont des sphères flottant dans l’air, alliant métal doré, matière incandescente et brillante. À mesure qu’on les explose, la tour se reconstitue comme par magie. Par moments, des flèches dorées indiquent la direction à prendre. Au poignet gauche, le temps qu’il nous reste — on n’a que douze minutes pour les récolter tous — et au droit, le nombre de cibles encore à atteindre…

Le second étage reconstitué, on prend l’ascenseur avec nos camarades pour s’attaquer au troisième, puis pour atteindre le sommet et la flèche pour laquelle on agit de concert tous les quatre. C’est gagné ! Les scores apparaissent. Puis c’est le final, un vol au-dessus du monument restitué au milieu d’un feu d’artifice, les manettes se sont transformées en mini-réacteurs qui nous permettent de planer dans les airs. Là, on en prend plein les yeux, mais attention au mal de cœur…

« À tous les étages, c’est un peu la même chose »

On passe un bon moment, c’est court mais suffisant. « On s’amuse bien, mais c’est très répétitif, à tous les étages c’est un peu la même chose », estime Victoire, 17 ans, qui a pu le tester avec nous. Pris dans la mission, on en oublie aussi de profiter de la reconstitution du monument et du Paris alentour. « Il aurait fallu plus de temps pour observer le paysage », pense encore Victoire.

Comptez douze minutes d’aventure, vingt en tout, en incluant le temps de décollage et d’atterrissage. « On rentre vite dans le jeu, c’est l’avantage, et puis c’est statique, ça veut dire que c’est accessible à tous, même aux personnes en fauteuil », poursuit l’adolescente. L’expérience est conseillée à partir de 11 ans, strictement défendue aux moins de 8 ans. Il faudra compter 15 euros au tarif plein, 12 euros pour les moins de 12 ans et 9 euros pour les personnes à mobilité réduite. Chaque jour, la tour Eiffel accueille entre 20 000 et 25 000 visiteurs par jour, et il n’y sera proposé, au maximum, que 250 créneaux quotidiens. Et jusqu’au 22 juillet, c’est gratuit.

« Tour Eiffel Effect », du lundi au dimanche de 11 à 20 heures. Prix de l’accès aux étages à acquitter en sus.

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Le PSG dévoile son maillot extérieur 2024-2025 en clin d'oeil à la Tour Eiffel

Le paris-saint-germain a révélé ce mardi le maillot extérieur qu'il arborera cette saison. la tunique rend hommage à un maillot du début des années 90 et s'inspire de la tour eiffel..

Après son maillot domicile, le Paris-Saint-Germain a dévoilé ce mardi la tunique extérieure qu'elle arborera cette saison. « Alors que Paris s'apprête à devenir la capitale mondiale du sport, ce nouveau maillot rend hommage à une tunique iconique du club portée par les Parisiens lors des saisons 1990-1991 et 1991-1992, tout en incarnant l'esprit d'innovation du club de la nouvelle génération.   Ornée de deux bandes rouge et bleue, cette tunique blanche s'inspire de la silhouette emblématique de la tour Eiffel.   », indique le club de la capitale sur son site internet .