Paris: Cesar, exhibition of compressions, expansions and "empreintes humaines" in Fondation Cartier

The Fondation Cartier presents a major exhibition of the work of French sculptor César on the tenth anniversary of his death. Jean Nouvel—the Fondation Cartier’s architect and a close friend of the artist—has been invited to select the works as well as design their presentation. It will include the most significant works from four major groups: the Fers, the Compressions, the Empreintes humaines, and the Expansions.

Jean Nouvel and César

César employed the hydraulic press, expanded polyurethane foam and castings of the human body to realize works he called Compressions, Empreintes humaines and Expansions. These techniques led the artist to reduce the intervention of his own hand in the creation of his works, allowing him to seize upon reality in a direct manner. César’s formal training led him to question the significance of this new approach, which became the subject of many discussions with his friend Jean Nouvel concerning the nature of a work of art: “Can a work of art that does not show evidence of craftsmanship still be considered art?” César was faced with an inner conflict clearly described by Catherine Millet: “César, as classical as his spirit may be [...], as attached as he is to the importance of craft, has found himself caught in a dilemma; he has discovered that sculpture is not just an art of accurate proportions and beautiful materials to be touched, it may also be an idea.” Known for an approach to architecture that favors the immaterial and the minimal, Jean Nouvel has appropriately chosen to place particular emphasis on the conceptual aspects of César’s work. In a rigorous exhibition design, he has chosen to focus upon what he considers the most innovative bodies of the artist’s œuvre, not according to chronology, but to genre.

in Press release Fondation Cartier

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