Le Passe-Muraille

You are looking at Le Passe-Muraille, a bronze sculpture that depicts a man frozen in the act of walking through a stone wall. Created by the actor and artist Jean Marais in 1989, the figure captures a moment of surreal failure. The sculpture is a tribute to the writer Marcel Aymé, who lived in this neighborhood and penned the short story from which the character originates. The character in the story is an ordinary, unassuming office clerk named Dutilleul. He suddenly discovers the supernatural ability to walk through solid matter. At first, he uses his power to torment his coworkers and pull off daring, lighthearted burglaries. His story ends in tragedy, however, when he falls in love and finds himself trapped halfway through a wall, forever unable to finish his passage. In a playful touch by the sculptor, the face of the trapped man is modeled after the author Marcel Aymé himself.