(Marseille, 1921 - Paris, 1998)
La Mouche, 1955
Welded iron
Unique work
Signed and dated on the base at the front left
César
55
Hauteur : 17,5 cm
Longueur : 21 cm
Largeur : 10,5 cm
Provenance :
- Sylvie Volnay Collection, Paris
- Private collection, France
Exhibition :
Accrochage, 1956, Galerie Henri Creuzevault, Paris
Literature :
César, Catalogue raisonné, volume I, 1947-1964 by Denyse Durand-Ruel, Éditions de la Différence, Paris, 1994, this welded iron described on p. 100 and reproduced on p. 101 under no. 106
Certificate of authenticity from the artist.
Registered in the Denyse Durand-Ruel Archives under no. 753
“I touch, and I think. If I don't touch, I can't concentrate; if I don't touch, my intelligence doesn't work as well, at least at that level. Or when I touch, my imagination only kicks in when I touch things, so right away, I can dream.” César
His introduction to arc welding in 1949 prompted César to start working with scrap metal. It was not until 1954 that the artist truly began his Fers series. These sculptures are the result of extensive welding and assembly of various pieces of metal. The Fers are sculptures created by welding different pieces of scrap metal together. This results in unique works, as they are partly defined by the materials he finds and selects, which determine their form. At the same time, this allows for an expressive, textured result that is anything but smooth. Even in this fairly classic sculptural work, one senses a real force.