After two years of controversy, the large lion statue by Richard Orlinski, a former French real estate agent turned artist at the age of 38 and author of neo-pop works exhibited around the world, will finally be removed in Nice . The work, standing a full five meters tall and titled Roaring Lion Spirit, depicts a roaring lion in Orlinski’s typical style of highly recognizable figures but broken up into geometric lines and shiny, glittering surfaces. The lion, located in the central Place Garibaldi, had arrived in the Côte d’Azur capital in 2023 for a street art exhibition and was supposed to stay until the end of the exhibition, but in the end the artist had granted it on loan to the city and it did not leave. Basically, it was supposed to stay three months and it stayed almost three years. There is also a date: the sculpture will be removed by Nov. 30, a date that the Nice city administration reportedly marks the expiration date of the loan agreement, which will therefore not be renewed.
The work was the last visible in a series of ten sculptures displayed in the city in the summer of 2023. Placed in a crucial area between the Port and Old Nice, the monumental animal had stirred several controversies and fueled a clash between those who thought it was interesting and those who considered the displayed work excessively showy. According to information from the city, the Orlinski statue will be replaced, although neither the name of the artist nor the alternative design have yet been disclosed. In fact, the city said it is still in the process of evaluating different options.
There has also been controversy over the relationship between the artist and the city administration, so much so that French authorities, in 2024, launched an investigation following revelations by the media outlet Mediapart, which alleged that Christian Estrosi, mayor of Nice, and his wife allegedly received gifts of numerous sculptures from the artist, including famous and conspicuously valuable works. These gifts, according to the ongoing investigation, may have exerted influence on political decisions, particularly regarding the granting of public spaces for the display of Orlinski’s works. Last March 18, 2025, searches were also carried out at both Nice City Hall and companies owned by the artist, at the behest of the Central Office for Combating Corruption and Financial and Fiscal Infractions.
Mayor Christian Estrosi’s entourage has rejected all allegations of wrongdoing, stating firmly that no undue advantage was granted to Richard Orlinski. The artist, for his part, has made no public statements regarding the suspicions raised so far. The only certainty at the moment is that the sculpture will be removed, and the news has already made his detractors rejoice.
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| Nice, the sculpture of controversy will be removed: Orlinski's lion away from place Garibaldi |
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