Remembering James Dean in Lacoste, France

The “Wall of Hope” is out of place in the Luberon Mountains of Provence. Sculpted by the late

Japanese artist Yasuo Mizui over the course of 20 years, the colossal memorial never made its

way to its intended destination of California, where a smaller monument from Japan already

resided. Only a local guide with permission from Mizui’s family can take you to see James, so

you’ll need to ask around the village for someone in the know. The locally quarried stone (pierre

de Lacoste) was cut by handsaw and hauled to the artist’s garden for assembly—and there it will

remain. The wall consists of massive blocks carved into delicate curtains on one side, with the

other cradling a bust of the iconic actor. Dean stares into the thicket of nearby woods—his mouth

agape.

— Stuart Wilkinson