A Fetching New Symbol of France

IN the mayor's office of the small town of Thiron-Gardais near Chartres, young couples exchange wedding vows beneath a bust of Marianne, the ubiquitous symbol of the Republic of France. But the long familiar statue now has a new and different look. Although she still wears the customary Phrygian hat, her habitually austere visage has been replaced by a generous mouth and her torso by an even more generous cleavage. The face and figure, done in white plaster with bronze patinas, are unmistakably those of Brigitte Bardot.

This latest role for BB was conceived and executed by Asian (Alain Gourdon), a French artist who once won the Grand Prix de Rome for his sculpture, and now sometimes draws magazine pinup girls. While vacationing in Thiron-Gardais, Asian decided to try his hand at sculpting a new Marianne, who has been reconceived a number of times since she was first created in 1848. Says Asian: "All the Mariannes invariably have a Greek profile. It's ridiculous to have a Greek god dess representing the French Republic. Automatically, the image of Brigitte Bardot imposed itself on my spirit. To me she represents femininity and womanhood. She's truly a symbol of France."

So far, says Asian, BB's new bust has supplanted ten old Mariannes in mayors' offices around France, at a cost of $105 each. Installing a bust of Brigitte at his party's headquarters in Paris, Radical Party Politician Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber said: "We should be proud of her, of Roquefort cheese and of Bordeaux wine. They are the products that bring us the most profit." Andre Malraux, the celebrated author and former Minister of Culture, asked for and was sent a copy.

The manufacturers have received a few complaining letters, including one that scolded: "You cannot rank the Republic and this person together." Nonetheless, BB's bust is expected to become a priority item in mayors' budgets--after this week's municipal elections are over. In return for lending her figure to France, Bardot has been given one of the busts and has mounted it over her bed.

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