Meet by the Elephant!

Episode #3: When a work becomes a symbol of friendliness and cohesion

© Photo B. Genest

In the Societe Generale Towers, it’s staff members favourite place to meet before having lunch, a coffee or simply a chat. But how well do you know the Elephant?

A long-standing institution at the heart of the Societe Generale Towers 

If you’re passing through the Societe Generale Towers in La Défense, you can’t miss it. From the lobby, head into the Agora, the twin-level square foyer surmounted by a magnificent glass dome, and you’ll see it standing there on a marble slab just after the access control. 
 

Since July 1996, soon after the first teams moved into the Group’s new headquarters, the Elephant has become a genuine in-house institution.

A vibrant meeting place in La Défense 

Created in 1986, it is one of the Societe Generale Collection’s emblematic works of art. Created by Welsh-born artist Barry Flanagan, known for his statues of animals, this 2-metre-high bronze sculpture represents a small Indian elephant in a rather odd position attracting the gaze of passers-by. With its unusually short trunk, its four feet that merge together and its receding and completely sloping back, the Elephant has an irregular surface that softens its gait and make it look a little like a ballerina. 

But the sculpture assumes a symbolic quality. Given its central position, halfway along the longitudinal axis that connects the three towers, close to the restaurants, cafeterias and cash dispensers, it has become the place staff spontaneously choose to meet before heading to the cafeteria – whence the large number of people around it at mealtimes –, to get a coffee, go to a meeting or simply have a chat. Every day, hundreds of staff agree to “meet by the Elephant”. As an internal magazine rightly notes, “the Elephant embodies the relational aspect: it is the friendly relation, a pleasurable and relaxing moment in our place of work. It is the soul of the Agora”. 

A tradition that has been continued? 

In fact, the Elephant perpetuates a Societe Generale tradition, because when central services were still based in the Édouard VII complex near Place de l’Opéra, staff would meet by the equestrian statue of Edward VII, “under the horse’s tail”. The social spaces of different animals echo each other!

Just once, in 2003, the Elephant was loaned to a temporary exhibition in Toulouse for a few months, causing a stir among the teams, who had to be immediately reassured. 

The least that can be said is that this attachment remains unwavering over time.. 

A Collection born with the Towers

Did you know that the Societe Generale Art collection was created at the same time as the Alicante Chassagne towers? Marc Viénot, who was CEO of Societe Generale at the time, had a keen interest in contemporary art. He decided to bring art into the company "to add a cultural dimension to the new headquarters and contribute to an inspiring and stimulating working environment". This is how the Societe Generale Art Collection came into being. 

Established in 1995, the Collection is now celebrating its 30th anniversary. Today, it is a compendium of almost 1,800 works of art, combining painting, graphic arts, photography and sculpture, created by French and international artists.