- Title: Famed padlocks from Paris bridge to be auctioned
- Date: 12th May 2017
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (MAY 12, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PANEL OF PADLOCKS RETRIEVED FROM BRIDGE, DISPLAYED IN EXHIBITION SPACE VISITOR TAKING PHOTO OF ART INSTALLATION THAT USES PADLOCKS RETRIEVED FROM BRIDGE LOCKS IN ART INSTALLATION ART PIECES USING PADLOCKS FROM BRIDGE DISPLAYED IN GLASS CASES HEART-SHAPED PADLOCK ART PIECE USING PADLOCKS (SOUNDBITE) (French) AUCTION DIRECTOR, SOPHIE BOULE (pronounced boo-leh), SAYING: "These padlocks installed on the bridge have a different status, they were transformed into a work of art. We've talked about a form of street art. So it's a very good message, it's good to see them on display, to see them placed on a pedestal, it really gives a new dimension to these testaments of love." LOCK WITH NAMES OF COUPLE ON IT ART PIECES USING PADLOCKS IN EXHIBITION SPACE (SOUNDBITE) (French) AUCTION DIRECTOR, SOPHIE BOULE (pronounced boo-leh), SAYING: "As the auction is for a good cause, we hope that it will attract high bids and because love has no price, we hope the prices will soar." LOCKS WITH COUPLE'S NAMES ON THEM VISITORS IN EXHIBITION SPACE VARIOUS OF PANEL OF PADLOCKS TAKEN FROM PONT DES ARTS BRIDGE DISPLAYED IN EXHIBITION VISITOR TAKING PHOTO
- Embargoed: 26th May 2017 16:04
- Keywords: France Paris romance auction bridge padlocks love locks
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Human Interest / Brights / Odd News
- Reuters ID: LVA0026GJAGD5
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The famed padlocks chained by lovers on a Paris bridge and removed two years ago by city authorities will be auctioned on Saturday (May 13), with proceeds going to charity.
Hundreds of thousands of "lovelocks" attached to the Pont des Arts bridge in central Paris were pulled off in June 2015, as city authorities were afraid the sheer weight was putting the 19th century structure at risk.
The pedestrian bridge had become a shrine of love for tourists and Parisians seeking to immortalise their relationships by attaching a padlock with their names or initials on it to the metallic grid railings.
A part of the bridge laden with padlocks collapsed in 2014, and the city's government said the mushrooming locks spoiled the aesthetics of the Pont des Arts and another bridge nearby, the Pont de l'Archeveche.
Each cluster of padlocks grouped together as a piece of art is estimated to be sold for 150-200 euros (165 to 220 U.S. dollars), while a whole panel may go for 5,000 to 10,000 euros (5,470 to 11,000 U.S. dollars). Fifteen panels are up for auction.
The auctioneer is expecting buyers from the U.S. and European countries like the U.K., Italy and Belgium - whose visitors have hung lovelocks - to participate in Saturday's auction. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
