Strolling the Promenade des Anglais is one of the best things to do in Nice. In addition to the azure sea and the parade of strollers, cyclists and roller skaters, the Prom is also dotted with sculpture. Pay attention and you'll learn a lot about Nice.

Let's start in front of the CUM.

This stele by Roland Moreau commemorates the French presence in North Africa. Nice has a large community of pieds noirs, native French people who lived and worked in Algeria during the time from 1830 to 1962 when it was a part of France. The footprints on the statue recall the pieds noirs (black feet) The crack symbolizes the painful rift that was caused when France finally pulled out in 1962. The bitterness nearly led to a civil war. It was inaugurated on Saturday, June 30, 2012 5 days before the 50th anniversary of Algerian independence. As there's already a sculpture commemorating those who died in the war for Algerian independence, this sculpture is specifically dedicated to the living.

A little further east is

L'Ange de la Baie (Angel of the Bay) by Nice sculptor Jean-Marie Fondacaro was installed on July 14, 1922 on the sixth anniversary of the terrorist attack that occurred on the Promenade July 14, 2016. In the hollow of the wave is a heart engraved with the names of the 86 people (anges) who lost their lives on that day.

Keep walking east and you'll find

The Chaise Bleue sculpture is by the contemporary artist known as SAB (Sabine Géraudie) and it honors Nice's iconic blue chairs along the Prom. Erected in 2014 it has now become as beloved as the blue chairs themselves.

Less beloved is

The nine 30-meter high steel beams of Neuf Lignes Obliques that meet at the top are said to symbolize the nine valleys that converge on Nice. Nice artist Bernar Venet put it together and it was placed on the Prom in 2010 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Nice's attachment to France. It has yet to become a hit with locals.

Much more popular is

The Statue of Liberty in front of the Opera House is an original statue made by Bartholdi, the sculptor who made the iconic statue welcoming people to New York. As the sculptor typically started with small sculptures that he enlarged, this statue was probably made before her larger sister in 1875. Nice bought the statue in 2011 and installed it in 2014 on the anniversary of WWI.

And finally, in front of the entrance to the Old Town is

Italian artist Andrea Roggi created this work Agapé | L'Amour qui Change Le Monde (A Love that Changes the World), inspired by the Greek concept of selfless and unconditional love. It was installed on the Prom in 2024.