Winston Churchill Statue

Following a public commission, the artist Jean Cardot, a sculptor and member of the Academy of Fine Arts, created a bronze statue of Winston Churchill. In 1998, the statue was inaugurated in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II of England and the President of the French Republic, Jacques Chirac. This event took place on November 11, 1998, marking the 80th anniversary of the armistice of 1918, which brought an end to World War I.

In addition to the presence of a statue representing Georges Clemenceau created by François Cogné in Clemenceau Square, Jean Cardot also designed a monument to General de Gaulle, which would be placed in the same square. According to him, these three sculptures would form a "symbolic triangle" embodying "different moments in the history of 20th-century Europe."

The Winston Churchill statue was commissioned in early 1998, following the unveiling of a statue of Charles de Gaulle in London five years earlier. The relationship between these two leaders was intricate, both on a personal level and in terms of France-United Kingdom relations.

The concept for the statue was conceived by Brian Reeve, a British entrepreneur based in Paris. This impressive bronze statue, measuring 3.2 meters in height and weighing 2,500 kilograms, was financed through 3,000 donations amounting to a total of £250,000. The largest single contribution was £20,000, and the Council of Paris also made a significant contribution. The statue was inspired by a photograph capturing Churchill and De Gaulle marching together down the Champs-Élysées on November 11, 1944. The image of Churchill in stride reflected his unwavering determination. The base of the statue bears the iconic words, "We shall never surrender," excerpted from the Prime Minister's speech on June 6, 1940.

On November 11, 1998, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the armistice that concluded World War I, the statue was unveiled in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and the President of France, Jacques Chirac. During the event, the British monarch delivered a speech in French, highlighting how Churchill and De Gaulle had managed to overcome their differences.

In 1998, the BBC reported that Winston Churchill faced opposition from a minority in France due to events such as the Allied bombing of German-occupied French locations.

In August 2009, and the statue of Churchill was vandalized with red paint bearing the initials of Rudolf Hess, the Nazi whom Churchill had arrested during his visit to the UK for peace talks.

In July 2015, a French court ruled that Nike, Inc. and an events company were required to pay €135,000 in damages to Cardot, who had filed a lawsuit against them for unauthorized promotional use of his statue. This legal action was prompted by the sportswear corporation's decision to dress Churchill in a Tony Parker basketball jersey in 2011.