19/12/2023
Victor Noir’s grave in Père - Lachaise cemetery by Patrick Magaud, 1984. Noir is perhaps more famous for his death and grave than work. He was a journalist who was shot dead; the grave consists of a full-sized bronze statue of the man lying down as if he had just been shot.
The statue became a fertility symbol - the story says those who kiss the statue on the lips, leave a flower in Victor’s hat, and rub the ge***al area will find themselves with enhanced fertility, a great s*x life, or a husband within one year.
The lips and trousers' bulge on the grave are noticeably shiny from people kissing and rubbing them.
In 2004, a fence was built around the grave to prevent women from touching the statue but after many protests it was taken down.
