Les Fers de César .

When you hear the name César, you generally think of the creator of Compressions, Expansions, and other giant casts. Because of this, his earliest works debuted in 1947-48, comprising his welded iron pieces, have remained somewhat in the shadows.

From this wide array of welded iron work, the Fondation Cartier presents creations from his latest period, somewhere between 1955 and 1963. The main characteristic of this period in the sculptor’s work is the transition from figurative expression to more abstract forms, where only the malleability of the materials is taken into account, as highlighted in the Plates and Reliefs series. By giving his works from 1955 to 1963 pride of place, Les Fers de César exhibit offers both great aesthetic coherence and the fascinating demonstration of an unhindered and fundamentally original imagination.