For the Modern and Contemporary Art sale on July 9, 2020, Piasa auction house honors César (1921-1998) and presents a selection of rare and varied works by the famous French sculptor.
César Baldaccini was born in 1921 in Marseille to Italian parents of Tuscan origin. As a child, he developed a passion for drawing and trained as a self-taught artist. In 1944, César obtained a scholarship from the city of Marseille and entered the National School of Fine Arts. In Paris, César frequented the artistic circles of Montparnasse and Saint-Germain-des-Prés in the immediate post-war years. There he met Giacometti, Germaine Richier and Picasso, among others, who would greatly influence his vision of sculpture.
César's artistic identity was asserted during an internship in an industrial joinery in the late 1940s, when he was confronted with metallurgy, assembly and raw materials. He then exchanged the mallet for the milling machine, the chisel for the soldering iron. Caesar appropriates scrap metal and metal scraps and explores the industrial materials that they transform into so many disturbing animal and human figures. It is from his workshop in Villetaneuse, installed "in the corner of a factory", that the artist produces his famous soldering irons. From then on, César gained international recognition. His particular technique, which combines the classical mastery of sculpture with the conceptual audacity of modernity, is celebrated from New York to Tokyo.
In 1960, he noticed an American hydraulic press capable of crushing a car at a scrap yard in Gennevilliers. At the May exhibition of the same year, he exhibited his first "Compressions" and amazed the public with the radicality of his gesture. However, the Compressions fit seamlessly into the production of the artist who never ceased to explore all the possibilities of industrial material. Especially since at the same time, César joined the Nouveaux Réalistes group led by Pierre Restany, whose ambition was "the poetic recycling of urban, industrial and advertising reality". In this respect, our Compression of silver alloy parts "Untitled" (circa 1960) is the most perfect illustration.
César (César Baldaccini dit) (1921-1998)
Sans titre, circa 1972-73
Estimation : 40000 / 60000 €
At the end of the 1960s, César discovered a new medium, polyurethane foam. This material inspired him to create the Expansions series, which he contrasted with Compressions. The technical process consists of controlling the foam's flow and then solidifying it in order to obtain a surprising sculpture, the hazardous result of chemical laws. The "Grey Casting" dating from 1977 (lot 39) is the fruit of this artistic research of chemical sculpture.
It testifies to the realization of Caesar's thought that the material should guide the logic of his works. Thus, through the singularity of his work and his technical experiments, César is among the most innovative artists in the history of sculpture.
César (César Baldaccini dit) (1921-1998)
Sans titre
Estimation : 30000 / 35000 €
Until the twilight of his life, César continued his Compressions by modulating the industrial tool that had become a poetic tool. The Compression of hunting cartridges "Untitled", a unique piece estimated at between 30,000 and 35,000 euros, stands out for its aesthetic achievement. The beauty of the work undoubtedly lies in the contrast between the geometric regularity of the object's shape and the irregularity of the cartridges' colours.
César (César Baldaccini dit) (1921-1998)
Combustion d'allumettes, 1982
Estimation : 10000 / 12000 €
Alongside the soldered irons, compressions and expansions, Caesar engaged in several other experiments resulting from the use of everyday objects. The burning of matches dating from 1982, estimated at between 10,000 and 12,000 euros, reflects Caesar's fascination with artistic accident. Indeed, he said of his art: "It is adventure. Sometimes things develop in an accident, and if I suffer it it's because I decided to suffer it..."
