Lot 10
  • 10

César

Estimate
300,000 - 500,000 EUR
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Description

  • César
  • Tubes
  • signed
  • welded iron
  • 195 x 108 x 51 cm; 76 3/4 x 42 1/2 x 20 1/16 in.
  • Executed in 1959, this work is unique.

Provenance

Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris
Private collection, Italy (acquired from the above circa 1960, thence by descent)
Sale: Sotheby's London, Contemporary  Art Part I, 26 June 1997, lot 5
Private Collection (acquired from the above sale)
Collection Jean Albou, Paris
Sale: Artcurial Paris, Collection Jean Albou, 29 January 2008, lot 6
Collection Alain & Candice Fraiberger

Exhibited

Paris, Galerie Claude Bernard, César, 1959
Luxembourg, Centre Culturel français, Banque Internationale Dexia, Hommage à César, 2000; catalogue, p. 38, illustrated
Villetaneuse, César Villetaneuse 1999-2000, Villetaneuse-souvenirs, 2000; catalogue, p. 30, illustrated
Monaco, Forum Grimaldi; Nice, MAMAC, Galerie contemporaine du Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain, César, l'instinct du fer, 1946-1966, des premiers fers aux compressions, 2002 - 2003; catalogue, pp. 82, 83
Biarritz, Crypte Sainte Eugénie, César, l'instinct du fer, 1946-1966, des premiers fers aux compressions, 2005

Literature

Denyse Durand-Ruel, CésarCatalogue Raisonné, Volume I, 1947-1964, Paris, 1994, p. 245, no. 282, illustrated

Condition

The printed catalogue image does not convey the colours and texture of the iron. The original work looks less gold and rusty than in the catalogue illustration. The colours tend rather to silver and chrome. Light and natural oxidation is visible on the surface. This work is in very good original condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

César is not the first to use steel: Picasso and Gonzalez did so before him. But the way in which he worked it, assembled and sculpted it thanks to the new technique of arc welding which gave more flexibility and which was not known to his elders, is unique. César questions the relationship between the volume and the surface to such an extent that Tubes resembles a painting without being one. Masterful.