On February 4, 2026, for conservation reasons, the statue of Jean-François Champollion left the Collège de France, where it had been installed since 1878. After restoration, it will join the Camille Claudel Museum in Nogent-sur-Marne. Repeatedly moved, admired and criticized, this sculpture is a little-known work by a famous artist : Auguste Bartholdi, author of the Lion of Belfort and the Statue of Liberty, among other works . Both the statue and its creator are associated with the Collège de France. This operation is therefore an opportunity to revisit the history of this work.
