Tottori Sand Sculptures to Depict History, Culture of France; Exhibition’s Theme Chosen in Honor of Paris Games

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:18 JST, March 24, 2024 

TOTTORI – Twenty artists from 12 countries are working to finish sand sculptures for an exhibition depicting the history of France from its founding through modern times, as well as iconic French architecture, at the Sand Museum at the Tottori Sand Dunes.

The exhibition will run from April 19 to Jan. 5 next year. The artists’ efforts to create 18 sand sculptures were shown to the media on Friday.

The theme of the show at the Sand Museum, which is located at the edge of the dunes, was chosen in honor of this year’s Paris Olympics and Paralympics. The largest work is a sand sculpture of the Palace of Versailles, 22 meters wide and five meters high. Artwork on the walls of the palace and other features are reproduced in detail.

Other work showcasing the history and culture of France include Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, created at 20:1 scale, and a sand re-creation of “Liberty Leading the People,” an oil painting by Eugene Delacroix in the Louvre collection.

Accurate, detailed reproductions are a key feature of the exhibition. “If you take a picture with a smartphone or another device, you can enjoy the photo more by enlarging it,” said Katsuhiko Chaen, general producer of the exhibition.