World Art Utopia

Broken Chair

The giant wooden Broken Chair on Place des Nations in Geneva, one leg snapped off halfway down, with people standing beneath it.
Artwork FileGeneva · Switzerland

Broken Chair

SeenJune 2025

Daniel Berset · 1997 · Geneva

Photo: Chris Mitchell / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Resized from the Street Art Utopia archive; full composition retained. Capture date conflicting: Commons summary 2008; EXIF 2006.

Daniel Berset's twelve-metre chair stands on Geneva's Place des Nations with one leg broken short. Commissioned by Handicap International, it makes the harm caused by landmines visible in an ordinary object enlarged to building scale. Source Checked

The archive photograph predates the 2025 repairs. Its Commons summary says 6 April 2008, while camera metadata says 6 April 2006; the capture date is conflicting. Photograph record

💡 4 things to know

  1. A chair for a campaignHandicap International commissioned Berset's sculpture in 1997 to speak for people harmed by landmines. Source Checked
  2. Built at an unlikely scaleThe project engineer records a height of twelve metres and an installation on Place des Nations. Source Checked
  3. Damage beyond the missing legA chainsaw attack on 13 December 2024 left deep cuts. Repairs required warmer weather for the replacement wood to bond. Source Checked
  4. Unveiled againThe United Nations recorded the restored monument's re-unveiling on 20 May 2025, opposite the Palais des Nations. Source Checked

📍 Where it is

Place des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland Source Checked

Open in Maps

Map location; no clearly framed Street View image was verified.

🗓️ Sightings

  1. 199718 Aug

    Installed on Place des Nations

  2. 200726 Feb

    Returns to its original location after the square's renovation

  3. 202413 Dec

    Chainsaw vandalism, documented by the owner

  4. 2025Mar

    Owner records repairs from 24 March to 4 April 2025

  5. 202520 May

    Restored monument unveiled again

  6. 20252 Jun

    Campaign banner installed on the chair, documented by its owner

Green stamps mark dated photographs; amber stamps mark reports, records or uncertain photo dates. Publication and upload dates are not camera dates.

✅ The facts

Artist
Daniel Berset Source Checked
Commissioner
Handicap International Source Checked
Year
1997 Source Checked
Height
12 metres Source Checked
Location
Place des Nations, Geneva Source Checked
Repair window
24 March–4 April 2025, announced by the owner Source Reported
Re-unveiling
20 May 2025 Source Checked
Material
Douglas wood Source Checked

🔗 Related

All sources & image credits

Photo: Chris Mitchell / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Resized from the Street Art Utopia archive; full composition retained. Capture date conflicting: Commons summary 2008; EXIF 2006.

Last checked: 25 October 2026 · How we verify art