The Leopold II-laan curves gracefully around the most famous sculpture of a woman in Oostende: De Zee (The Sea). Although Reclining Nude is another name for this lady the locals always refer to her as ‘Dikke Mathille’ (Fat Mathille). Grard emphasised the volume of the full, round forms. In De Zee he portrayed the opulence and sensuality of the sea in a female figure.
Until 1963 the work of art adorned the Kursaal Casino.