La Chiffonnière

The towering structure before you is titled La Chiffonnière, which translates from French to Rag Woman. Created by the renowned artist Jean Dubuffet, this twenty-two-foot sculpture is composed of painted stainless steel. Its construction relies on overlapping, petal-like layers of curved metal that give the figure a distinct, fragmented appearance. Dubuffet designed this piece to embody his aesthetic philosophy of Art Brut. He favored raw and unrefined forms, believing they offered a more honest expression than the polished conventions of traditional fine art. By utilizing these jagged, interlocking shapes, the sculpture deliberately rejects smooth lines and formal beauty to present a human form made of what appear to be tattered scraps. The work stands as a permanent fixture of the Embarcadero Center, occupying a space where the city's heavy financial operations meet the open waterfront.