Bronze Commemorative Ashtray - La Défence - sale Les Collines de l'arche - CNET

This rare and unusual bronze ashtray was created to celebrate the completion of the immense building project that surrounded the Grande Arche de la Défense in Paris, a grandiose project to create a spectacular business district in Paris. An extremely high quality and beautifully designed object, this is as much a sculptural piece as it is a useful object. I would imagine this was never an item meant for sale, it was probably given as a thank you to those involved in the project.

Size: 13.5cm x 12cm or 5 3/8" x 4 3/4".
Weight: 790g.


The Passage de l'Arche, then the Collines de l'Arche, located on either side of the Grande Arche de la Défense, refer to Johann Otto von Spreckelsen's project. The latter had already proposed to flank the Grande Arche with groups of buildings. But it was Jean-Pierre Buffi who won the competition in 1986. Faced with the difficulty imposed by the presence of the Grande Arche but also the Esplanade, the architect proposed an urban composition based on the scale, the division and the connections between the buildings. The buildings are indeed aligned in four parallel rows and connected by a vast glass nave. The building, 100m sale long and 30m wide, faces the setting sun.
The offices, like blocks of polished stone, echo the clean lines of the Arche with their glass facades.