Auguste Rodin (Sculpteur) (1840-1912)

After a difficult start, Rodin finally found success in 1877. His statues, often very large, initially shocked people with their originality. He received many honors and gained international recognition at the 1900 World’s Fair. His most famous statue is The Thinker. The Rodin Museum in Paris houses many of his works.

Brigitte Bardot (Actrice) (1934-2025)

Actress (48 films) and singer (80 songs), Brigitte Bardot became an international star in the 1960s and 1970s. An emblem of women’s emancipation, she became one of the first sex symbols. In 1973, she ended her career to devote herself to her passion for animals and to create her Foundation, which protects abandoned or abused animals.

Claude Monet (Peintre) (1840-1926)

A founding artist of the Impressionist movement, he rejected academicism and chose to capture fleeting impressions and the movement of time. A highly prolific painter, he favored scenes of everyday life and natural settings, making him a witness to life in his era. In Giverny, where he spent the end of his life, he painted the famous ponds with water lilies.

Coco Chanel (Créatrice de mode) (1883-1971)

Raised in an orphanage, Coco Chanel managed to change her destiny! She began by creating hats, whose success encouraged her to design clothing—often simple and elegant—enhanced with jewelry and perfumes. Becoming the queen of haute couture, she is one of the symbols of Parisian elegance and chic.

Edouard Manet (Peintre) (1832-1883)

This painter is considered the initiator of modern painting. His works, such as Luncheon on the Grass and Olympia, caused scandal because of their style and subject matter, but posterity judged them differently. The careful composition, attention to reality, and the artist’s imagination make him one of the greatest painters of the 19th century.

Omar Sy (acteur) (1948)

French actor born in Trappes, Omar Sy became famous with the comedy series SAV des émissions on television. He achieved great success in cinema with The Intouchables (2011), for which he won the César Award for Best Actor. Since then, he has appeared in many French and international films, such as Jurassic World and the Netflix series Lupin.

Jeanne d’Arc (Figure historique) (1412-1431)

A very popular young heroine, she heard the voice of an angel asking her to lead the French army against the English. She thus secured the coronation of King Charles VII. Eventually captured, she was burned at the stake. The Catholic Church canonized her as a saint in 1920.

Marie Curie (Physicienne, chimiste) (1867-1934)

Born in Poland, she arrived in Paris at the age of 24. In 1903, she shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with her husband Pierre Curie, and in 1911 she won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on her own. She is famous for her research on radioactivity and her discoveries of polonium and radium. She founded the Curie Institute, which still treats cancer patients today.

Marion Cotillard (Actrice) (1975)

his versatile actress won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2008 for her role in La Môme, the biographical film about singer Édith Piaf. She continues to act in many films in both France and the United States. Outside of her career, she is a committed environmentalist and a member of Greenpeace.

Maurice Béjart (Chorégraphe) (1927-2007)

Initially a dancer, he is best known as a choreographer. He remained faithful to classical technique but used it to express his immense creativity, and his ballets attracted a new audience through their modernity. Both Swiss and French, he founded his company, the Ballets du XXe siècle, in Brussels.

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (Dit Moliere) (1622-1673)

An actor, he created his own troupe and wrote plays that entertained King Louis XIV—except when they were too critical of their time. He wrote farces, psychological comedies, and comédie-ballets accompanied by music by Jean-Baptiste Lully. Molière’s plays continue to entertain modern audiences.

Napoléon Bonaparte (Empereur) (1767-1821)

Born in Corsica, Napoleon had a brilliant military and political career. After the Revolution, he became First Consul through a coup d’état, and later emperor. At the head of his troops, he won great victories but also suffered tragic defeats. He promulgated the Civil Code, which still guides France today.

Thierry Henry (Footballeur) (1977-)

Crowned French champion in 1997, this talented football player has been a member of numerous teams: AS Monaco, Juventus, Arsenal, FC Barcelona, and in 2010 he became a forward for the New York Red Bulls. His outstanding international career has been crowned with many honors.

Victor Hugo (écrivain) (1802-1885)

Victor Hugo is famous for his novels (Les Misérables, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame), his poems, and his plays. He was a committed Romantic writer: he fought against the death penalty, child labor, and excessively long working hours. Having become a republican, he actively participated in political and social life.

Voltaire (Philosophe, écrivain) (1694- 1778)

Voltaire left a mark on the 18th century and holds a special place in France and abroad. Before the French Revolution, he criticized religious fanaticism and absolute monarchy, and defended tolerance and freedom of thought. His writings (Candide) serve the cause of liberty and justice and continue to influence international thinking.

Simone Veil (femme politique) (1927-2017)

A survivor of the Holocaust, Simone Veil became a major figure in French politics. As Minister of Health in the 1970s, she succeeded in passing the law that legalized abortion in France. The first President of the European Parliament elected by universal suffrage, she remains a symbol of courage, justice, and equality for women.

Thomas Pesquet (astronaute) 1978

Thomas Pesquet is a French astronaut born in Rouen. A former airline pilot, he joined the European Space Agency in 2009. He has taken part in two missions aboard the International Space Station, in 2016–2017 and in 2021, where he carried out several spacewalks. Passionate about the planet, he advocates for environmental protection.

Alexandre Dumas (écrivain) (1802-1870)

French writer born in Villers-Cotterêts, Alexandre Dumas is famous for his adventure novels full of action and courageous heroes. He wrote The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, two classics translated worldwide. The son of a general of Haitian origin, he achieved immense popularity and remains one of the most widely read French authors today.