Paris has finally found a place for a sculpture of a giant bunch of gaudy tulips offered by American artist Jeff Koons in the wake of the terror attacks but which purists complained would lower the tone of the City of Light.

Mr Koons had described Bouquet of Tulips, a 10-metre (34-foot) work of bronze, stainless steel and aluminium weighing 33 tons as a token of “remembrance to the victims of the terrible tragedies” that rocked the capital in 2014 and 2015, adding that he wanted “to give hope to the surviving family members”.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo initially said the multi-coloured sculpture would be installed for all to see opposite the Eiffel Tower and in front of the Palais de Tokyo and the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris near Trocadéro.

She hailed it as a "symbol of generosity and sharing", which shows "our capital's ties with the United States are unbreakable”.

The Bouquet of Tulips features a hand holding the huge flowers in a gesture designed to ape the Statue of Liberty grasping her torch.

However, critics failed to see eye to eye with the mayor.

In an op-ed in Libération newspaper, some 23 figures from France’s art and culture world slammed the choice of a prime location – at the heart of the city's modern and contemporary art offerings – adding that the museums had no symbolic connection with the Paris attacks.