Sculpture:
The bronze and granite sculpture standing some ten metres high and forty metres wide commemorates the founding of the Universal Postal Union's founding in 1874. The work of French sculptor Rene de Saint-Marceau, a member of the Paris Academie des Beaux-arts, was unveiled on 4 October 1909. He was chosen to execute the work following an international competition organisezed by the Swiss Government on the theme, 'Around the World'. The sculpture embodies the UPU's truly universal mission, depicting five messengers depicting the five continents, as they pass letters around the globe.
The monument's symbolic representation was gradually accepted as the UPU's distinctive emblem. The logo appeared for the first time on the cover of the UPU's flagship magazine Union Postale in 1951, and was then used on envelopes and official documents. The UPU's Executive Council adopted it as the Union's official logo in 1967
Sculptor:
Charles René de Paul de Saint-Marceaux (September 23, 1845 - April 23, 1915) was a French sculptor. He was born in Reims and at age eighteen went to Paris to study at the École des Beaux-Arts. A student of François Jouffroy, he became primarily a sculptor of portrait busts and animals. He exhibited at the Paris salon from 1868. Among his works were several statues created for Baron Rothschild for his Château de Ferrières and the tomb at Montmartre Cemetery in Paris for Alexandre Dumas, fils.
In 1891 René de Saint-Marceaux joined the newly formed Société des artistes français.
René de Saint-Marceaux died in Paris in 1915.
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Subject:
Established in 1874, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) with its Headquarters in Berne (Switzerland), is the primary forum for cooperation between postal-sector players and helps to ensure a truly universal network of up-to-date products and services.
With 191 member countries, this specialised agency of the United Nations fulfils an advisory, mediating and liaison role, and renders technical assistance where needed. It sets the rules for international mail exchanges and makes recommendations to stimulate growth in mail volumes and to improve the quality of service for customers.
As a non-political organisation, it does not interfere in matters that fall within the domestic domain of national postal services. For example, Posts set their own postage rates, decide which and how many postage stamps to issue, and how to manage their postal operations and staff.
The UPU has for objective to develop social, cultural and commercial communication between people through the efficient operation of the postal service. As an inter-governmental institution, the UPU is called upon to play an important leadership role in promoting the continued revitalisation of postal services.
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