Archibald Memorial Fountain unveiled – 14 March 1932
Sydney's iconic Archibald Memorial Fountain turns 89 today.
Located in the heart of Sydney's CBD, in the lush surrounds of Hyde Park North, this sculptural masterpiece represents the association between Australia and France, forged in the First World War.
The 18-metre-wide granite fountain was created by French sculptor François-Léon Sicard, following a bequest from its namesake Mr J.F. Archibald, who also endowed the famous Archibald Portrait Prize. Archibald envisaged “some beautiful bronze symbolic open-air memorial by a French artist, commemorative of Australia and France having fought side by side for the liberties of the world” (The Daily Telegraph, 2 June 1926).
Sicard represented the Australia-France connection through the symbolic figures of Apollo, Diana, Pan, and Theseus, beautifully rendered in monumental bronze sculptures. They are accompanied by several smaller statues of tortoises, fish, and horses, which spray the jets of water that bring the fountain to life.
The day after the unveiling ceremony, The Sydney Morning Herald (15 March 1932) crowned it a “beautiful work of art” and “the city’s finest adornment”.
Learn more about this historic war memorial and famous Sydney landmark on the NSW War Memorials Register.
