HTC announced today (15th) that its subsidiary VIVE Arts, which is committed to promoting the integration of technology and art, has joined hands with the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, GEDEON Experiences and BackLight to jointly produce the immersive virtual reality experience "Statue of Liberty: Bartholdi's Dream, from Paris to New York".
This is also the second time VIVE Arts has cooperated with the Musée d'Orsay on immersive content after co-producing the Musée d'Orsay's first VR experience "La Palette de Van Gogh" (La Palette de Van Gogh) in 2023.
HTC pointed out that this collaboration coincides with the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence in 2026 and the 140th anniversary of the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty. This collaboration takes the birth of the Statue of Liberty as the theme. Through exhibitions and immersive experiences, the audience will be led from Paris to New York to witness the extraordinary journey of this world-famous statue from conception to completion, and ultimately became a symbol of freedom.
HTC said that the VR experience area of "Image of Liberty: Bartholdi's Dream, from Paris to New York" covers an area of nearly 700 square meters. Based on a large amount of historical research, it combines virtual reality, digital painting and large-scale immersive narrative to recreate the era in which French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi created, his creative inspiration and long-lost historical scenes.
HTC stated that this VR experience echoes the "Auguste Bartholdi - Liberty Enlightening the World" exhibition launched at the same time by the Musée d'Orsay. It will trace Bartholdi's artistic career and the process of the Statue of Liberty from conception, fundraising, engineering and production to the official unveiling in New York in 1886. It will show how this work brought together art, engineering and the trend of the times, becoming a very representative and important art and engineering project in the 19th century.
HTC pointed out that after the audience puts on the VR headset, they will follow in Bartholdi's footsteps, starting from a sketch on the work table and watching the initial idea gradually expand into a giant statue. The story unfolds from the living room of French politician Édouard Laboulaye and extends to the banks of the Nile, which inspired Bartholdi to conceive of the giant lighthouse, as well as the changing times in France and the United States in the second half of the 19th century. In the virtual space, the audience can shuttle between the scaffolding and the huge copper plate, watching the Statue of Liberty gradually rise above the rooftops of Paris. After the assembly was completed, the entire statue was disassembled, packed into more than 200 boxes and shipped to the United States. It was finally officially unveiled in New York on October 28, 1886. An idea that began in Paris has since become a symbol of freedom across national borders.
"Image of Liberty: Bartholdi's Dream, from Paris to New York" will be exhibited at the Amont Gallery of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris from September 15, 2026 to January 31, 2027, and is available in French, English, Spanish and Chinese.
