Bibliothèque Louis Nucéra — La Tête Carrée

The Bibliothèque Louis Nucéra is best known by its popular nickname, La Tête Carrée — the Square Head. A massive public sculpture by Sacha Sosno sits above the library building, forming the head of an enormous stylised human figure whose body is the library itself, with the building's windows serving as the face's features. The effect is simultaneously monumental and slightly absurd.

The library is a working public institution and can be visited freely. It sits on Avenue Saint-Jean-Baptiste, a short walk from Place Masséna along the Paillon promenade. The sculpture, about 28 metres tall, is visible from a considerable distance and makes an odd landmark against the blue sky of Nice. Sosno called the technique "obliteration" — partially covering forms to suggest the rest.

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The building was designed by Yves Bayard and inaugurated in 2002. The "square head" form references Nice's famous son, the novelist Louis Nucéra, and more obliquely the Carré d'As — the local expression for a jack in cards. The library inside is entirely functional and freely open to the public; the sculpture is best appreciated by walking around it.

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