CESAR: Spectra of light - 1961 - Original lithograph

César : (1921-1998) known as César, is a french sculptor, born in 1921 in Marseille and died in 1998 in Paris. He is the creator of the eponym bronze trophy (created in 1976) celebrating the French cinema. In 1935 he studied at The School of Fine Arts of Marseille with Raymond Normand. Then, in 1943, at the National Superior School of Fine Arts of Paris with Michel Guino, Albert Féraud, Daniel David and Philippe Hiquily, in Marcel Gimond's workshop. From 1947, he worked with plaster and iron. In 1952, in Trans-en-Provence, he first attempted welding and making sculptures in in scrap iron, using recovered materials. In 1954, he exhibited in Lucien Durand's gallery and obtained the « collabo » Prize. In 1956, he took part in the biennials of Venice, São Paulo and to The Documenta II in 1959. In 1961, he got closer to Marino di Teana, and joined The "New Realists" group (with Mimmo Rotella, Niki de Saint Phalle, Gérard Deschamps...). From 1960, César centered his work on « compression dirigée » (directed compression), which became his trademark : helped by an hydraulic press, he compressed diverse objets (cars, fabrics, papers, and even gold jewellery...). This appropriation act was a challenge to the consumer society and it kept him close to the New realist artists circle, of which he became member with his friend Arman. Reversing the spirit of compressions, César created his « expansions » (The great orange expansion, 1967) and began to work with crystal in fusion. He reached an international recognition starting from 1970. His participation to an exhibition dedicated to the hand, from Rodin to Picasso and the discovery of the pantograph enlarging process lead him to the realization of The "Empreintes" (prints) (finger, breast, fist...). From 1949 to 1966 he created more than 300 constructions with the arc welding technic (Centaur, Flying French man, 1983...). The artist multiplied exhibitions : Centre Pompidou, Tate Gallery, MoMA… Retrospective at Jeu de Paume in Paris in 1997, in Malmö, Milan, São Paulo, Mexico. César ended his career with a series of portraits and self-portraits.

Beyeler Foundation (Switzerland)
Fundació Joan Miró (Spain)
Walker Art Center (The USA)
The National Academy of Design Museum (The USA)
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (The USA)
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond (The USA)
Grenoble Museum (France)
Das Museum Folkwang (Germany)
Kunstmuseum Basel (Switzerland)
The Broad Art Foundation (The USA)
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Neuberger Museum of art (The USA)
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Museum of Fine Arts of Nantes (France)
Schaulager - Emmanuel Hoffmann Foundation (Switzerland)
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum (The USA)
Columbus museum of art (The USA)
The Agnès B. Collection (France)
Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (Germany)
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Museo de Arte Moderno La Tertulia (Colombia)
David Winton Bell Gallery - Brown University (The USA)
The Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State University (The USA)
Art library, Millau (France)
Haggerty Museum at Marquette University (The USA)
Eli ans Edythe Broad Art Museum (The USA)
Gandur Foundation for Art (Switzerland)
Huntington Gallery of Art (The USA)
The Louvre Abu Dhabi (UAE)
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the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection (The USA)
Christian and Yvonne Zervos Foundation (France)
Kunsthalle Würth (Germany)
The Miles and Shirley Fiterman Collection
Jean and Colette Cherqui Collection (France)
Gelonch Viladegut Collection
Center for engraving and printed images (Belgium)