Alicja Kwade Sculpture Cut Short at Art Basel Paris Amid Citywide Unrest
Polish-German artist Alicja Kwade’s monumental public installation, L'Élévation des Mondes (2026), is being prematurely dismantled from its prominent location on Avenue Winston Churchill outside the Petit Palais and Grand Palais.
The decision to take down the towering public artwork came directly in response to civil unrest and scheduled demonstrations across Paris. Taking to Instagram to express her frustration, Kwade shared a photograph of the multi-sphere stone sculpture along with a statement regarding its unexpected removal:
"Unfortunately, only on view today and tomorrow, as it has to be dismantled, along with other sculptures, because of the announced riots and people who simply want to resort to violence."
Kwade continued, offering a critical perspective on the escalating nature of the street actions: "Protest is good, but why everything has to be smashed and destroyed is beyond ......It certainly doesn’t help the cause."
Installed as part of Art Basel Paris's public programming, L'Élévation des Mondes features a balance of carved natural stones stacked vertically on a stark white pedestal. The artwork incorporates materials ranging from Rainbow Sandstone and Carrara marble to Azul Macaubas and Verde Maculato, measuring nearly 4.5 meters in height.
Kwade’s gallery, Mennour, confirmed that the public installation would close significantly earlier than planned to prevent potential vandalism or irreparable damage as tensions across the city flare.
The activist collective Pillage de classe has issued a call for a demonstration outside the Grand Palais on Saturday, October 24, at 4:00 PM, circulated widely on social media by the platform @documentations_art. "According to the organization, the campaign targets the commercial art fair over its corporate tax deductions, private equity ties, and military technology investments."