FEDOR HOFFBAUER (NEUSS, 1839-PARIS, 1922) 1900 UNIVERSAL EXHIBITION, PORTE BINET PLACE DE LA CONCORDE Watercolour and ink Signed lower right Minor tears and old restorations Watercolour and ink, signed lower right, small tears and old restorations A VUE : 46 x 73 CM - 18,1 x 28,7 IN The 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris, celebrating the beginning of the 20th century, was a major event that symbolised the rise of modernity, industry and the arts. Among the many monuments erected for the occasion, the Porte Binet on Place de la Concorde stands out as one of the Exhibition's most remarkable architectural creations. It was designed to mark the entrance to the Exhibition and reflect the optimism and boldness of France at the time. It was designed by the architect Paul Binet, from whom it takes its name, and was located at one of the main entrances to the exhibition grounds on the Champ de Mars. It comprised three large arches, 20 metres apart, covering an area of 2,500 m². The main arch, facing the Place de la Concorde, opens out at the top into a sort of wide pediment, in the middle of which is projected the prow of the City of Paris vessel on which the Gallic cockerel crows. Above it, a 6-metre-high statue of the City of Paris welcoming its guests rises 35 metres above the ground. This figure, new in its genre, breaks with the tradition of Greek and Roman allegories: its creator has reproduced a "worldly Parisienne", "dressed in the latest fashion, both haughty and seductive". The door was destroyed at the end of the exhibition. However, it will always be remembered as one of the most emblematic buildings, embodying the marriage of art, technology and innovation that marked the Belle Époque in Paris.