César

César (1921-1998), an emblematic sculptor of the 20th century who was nonetheless considered provocative by the critics of his days, is a major artist of the New Realist movement. The creator of a protean art form, he is best known for his human footprints (one of his Pouce sculptures is on display in the Tuileries gardens) and his Compressions. He represented France at the Venice Biennale in 1994, a sign of his international recognition. Twenty years after his death, the centre Pompidou organised a retrospective of the artist’s work, exhibiting over a hundred of his works. This book is a re-issue, with 150 new index cards, of a publication conceived in close collaboration with the artist in 1994. This new version of the book remains faithful to César’s wishes and becomes the first book in a trilogy of catalogues raisonné. It looks back at the early years of his work – with his bestiaries and his work on iron – through to his first compressions in the 1960s.

Text in English and French.