Antoine BOURDELLE completes his monument to Poland in Paris.

Antoine BOURDELLE (1861.1929)

Autograph letter signed to the architect Alfred Rome and his wife.

Two quarto pages. Envelope preserved.

June 24, 1928.

"I have a monument, my first ^for a public square in PARIS . My strength has resisted. I will finish my work."

Despite the suffering of the illness, the sculptor is busy completing his work in honor of Poland, his first Parisian work.

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… We had a tragic winter. I was extremely ill. I am recovering slowly. But the serious thing is that I am holding a monument, my first ^for a public square in PARIS and that I had to suffer and risk all my strength and that I am still holding this work, which I despair of finishing on time. It is the Mount of Poland which will be erected in the Place de l'Alma – it is surrounded by intrigue and that is why I must move quickly.

My strength has held. I will finish my work. And I am better. But I don't have a minute to distract myself from my work. This makes our situation very , very tense because of this crucial work in my career , for which I don't have the time or the perspective that would normally be necessary.

Our only hope is that we will be able to leave in August to join our water doctor at Bains-les-Bains (Vosges). We are leaving with two doctors. But will I have finished? Because the inauguration (damned inauguration) is scheduled. […]

It's been months and months since I had to interrupt the publication of my work, which I will continue as soon as my health is restored and the major work is completed. Always with you all. Ant. Bourdelle.

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A gift from Poland to France and commissioned by the Franco-Polish Committee from Antoine Bourdelle, the "Monument to Adam Mickiewicz" or "Monument to the Epic of Polish Defense" was the sculptor's first work installed in Paris. The initial model dates back to 1909, but the inauguration of this project was not completed until twenty years later, on April 28, 1929, at Place de l'Alma, a few months before the artist's death. Subsequently, in 1956, the monument was moved to Cours Albert Ier.