Erected on the cobblestones, two Corten-steel Arc sculptures interact with the square’s barren geometric order, designed by Jules Hardouin- Mansart in 1699. On one side, two methodically stacked and intertwined tilted Arcs (Arcs penchés) stretch towards the sky. On the other side, as a result of random forces, a series of collapsing Arcs (Effondrement) form a closed circle, like an agora that the visitors can enter. From the celestial to the terrestrial, an alchemical combination of order and chance, the sculptures interact with each other, converging in their horizontality. Resulting from a constant desire to rethink the traditional forms of sculpture, the stacked, colliding metal bars defy the classical principle of formal elevation. No longer erected but collapsed, Bernar Venet’s sculpture subverts the rules. The falling sensation created by the stacking of steel bars, as imposing as they are elegant, refers to the history of the Vendôme column, demolished in 1871 before being rebuilt a few years later. For the artist, history is inscribed in the material itself, present in his work since the early 1980s. Frequently used in construction today, Cortensteel evolves like a living skin while being extremely resistant. At once ephemeral and durable, ordered and chaotic, Venet’s sculptures reflect the dualities inherent in artistic creation and existence. Faced with the power of laws that surpass us and the rigidity of history, symbolized by the Roman-inspired Napoleonic column, Bernar Venet’s installation is a paradoxical and poetic tribute to the fragility of life.