César Baldaccini Metal Sculpture "Compression Series", Circa 1970

Item Details

César Baldaccini (French, 1921 – 1998) also known as César
Untitled from the Compression series, circa 1970s
Base metal sculpture
Unsigned

César Baldaccini was a French sculptor at the center of the Nouveau Réalisme movement, which found inspiration in the urban environment. César, as he preferred to be known, was born to Italian parents in Marseilles and grew up in a working class neighborhood. He attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in both Marseilles and Paris. His early work consisted of welded scrap metal figures including insects, animals, and nudes. During one of his visits to the scrap yard for parts, he was drawn to the hydraulic compressor and decided to use it in the construction of his sculptures. His Compression series gained notable recognition and he expanded to incorporate plastics into his work using human forms and impressions to further his creations. His work can be found in a number of public installations including his most recognizable work Le Pouce, a forty-foot sculpture of the artist’s thumb.

Provenance
From the Collection of D. D. Ryan (d. 2007)

Dorinda Dixon Ryan, the glass of fashion, had an unerring talent for combining disparate objects, people and ideas. Raised as a salty New Englander in Bristol, Rhode Island, D.D. slipped effortlessly into the social swirl of 1950s New York where she married the eligible John Barry Ryan III. Thereafter, she kept her finger on the pulse of city life, its fashion, art and high society.

Condition

- rust, accretions, and nicks throughout.

Dimensions

Item #

ITMG565101