Good Luck to Touch? Dalida's Bust in Montmartre Shines Golden Again Less Than Three Weeks After Restoration

Less than three weeks after being restored, the bronze bust of legendary singer Dalida, a landmark in Montmartre, Paris, has seen its chest turn golden once again due to the constant touching of tourists.

According to the daily Le Parisien on the 18th (local time), the City of Paris repaired the surface of the bust at Dalida Square in Montmartre on the 25th of last month, restoring the golden chest—worn down by tourists' touches—back to its original dark color.

However, as tourists continued to touch the bust's chest, the newly applied surface patina quickly wore away, and the chest began revealing its signature gold color again around the 10th.

Dalida was an Italian-born singer and actor who was born in Cairo, Egypt, and active in France, emerging as a leading star of the French pop music scene from the 1950s to the 1980s.

During her lifetime, she sold more than 120 million records worldwide and received over 50 gold discs.

Dalida lived in Montmartre from 1962 until her passing in 1987, establishing herself as a figure symbolizing the area.

The City of Paris erected the bronze bust near her former residence in 1997 to mark the 10th anniversary of her death, and it has since become a popular attraction visited by countless tourists and fans.

In particular, as a superstition spread among tourists that touching the chest of Dalida's bust brings good luck, countless people have touched the same spot.

Because of this, only the dark surface of the chest wore away to reveal a golden shine, and this appearance itself became a popular tourist highlight in Montmartre.

As the chest turned golden again in less than three weeks after the City of Paris restored the bust's surface, sarcastic reactions mocking the authorities' restoration work continued on social media.

One netizen sarcastically remarked, "The Dalida statue has gone topless again. Painting is not something anyone can just do impromptu," while another pointed out, "How much did it cost to slap on a rough coat of discount store paint?"

The City of Paris explained that the recent restoration work cost about 3,000 euros (approximately 4.9 million won) and stated that surface restoration is "essentially a temporary measure, but it can be maintained for several months if the artwork is not exposed to repeated contact."

The city stated, "Just as we manage museum collections, we will mobilize professional personnel to continue necessary maintenance on the bust," adding that it will also review ways to prevent repeated contact by tourists without harming the artwork itself or accessibility.

The practice of touching the chest of Dalida's bust has spread beyond a simple cultural heritage management issue into a debate over sexism.

Some women's groups and Green Party politicians have criticized this behavior, defining it as "chauvinistic and insulting" and an act that normalizes sexual violence against women.

On International Women's Day on March 8, an artist even dressed Dalida's bust in a white corset to raise issues with this practice.

On the other hand, Orlando, Dalida's younger brother who is also a singer and actor, stated, "I do not feel any disrespect in the act of touching this chest," adding, "This is something that makes people remember Dalida even more eternally."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.