Mathieu LEHANNEUR (b. 1974), Official Olympic torch for the - Lot 259

Mathieu LEHANNEUR (b. 1974), Official Olympic torch for the Olympic torchbearers, Paris 2024. One of the 1,500 used by the torchbearers who set off from Olympia, Greece, to arrive at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris on July 26. Made of Arcelormittal XCarb® steel, it consists of two parts. The champagne-gold upper part features the openwork Paris 2024 logo, surmounted by the engraved legend "PARIS 2024" resting on the Olympic rings. The shiny lower part features degressive undulations, like the movements of water on the surface. H. 70 cm, diam. 3.5 to 10 cm Weight: 1.5 kg. (Slight traces of use, otherwise perfect condition). "Drawing the Games Torch is a designer's dream. A once-in-a-lifetime dream, like a miraculous encounter with History. As ritualistic as it is magical, the Torch is a mythical object. A symbol of cohesion and sharing, it is the real key to the Games. It will travel thousands of kilometers, passed from hand to hand, on land and sea. For Paris 2024, and for the first time in its history, it plays on perfect symmetry to better speak to us of equality. I wanted it to be extremely pure, iconic and almost essential. As simple as a hyphen, as fluid as a flame...". Mathieu Lehanneur, excerpt from the official press kit for the Paris Olympic Games For the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, French designer Mathieu Lehanneur conceived an emblematic torch embodying the spirit of Paris 2024 while drawing inspiration from three Paris 2024 markers: Equality, Water, and Appeasement. Its perfect symmetry symbolizes the equality between the Olympic and Paralympic Games, a first in the history of the Games. The undulations on its surface evoke the Seine, the central element of the 2024 Games. Its soft, rounded curves convey a message of peace and fraternity. Manufactured in France at several sites using Arcelormittal XCarb® steel from recycled and renewable sources, it is made up of more than ten main components meticulously assembled. A total of 2,000 torches (1,500 for the Olympic Games and 500 for the Paralympic Games) will be produced by ArcelorMittal, five times less than for previous editions of the Games, in order to reduce the impact of production. (references: Official website of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games)