César

César Baldaccini (1921–1998), widely known simply as César, was a prominent French sculptor and one of the leading figures in the Nouveau Réalisme movement, a French avant-garde group that sought to bring life and vitality back into art by incorporating real objects into their works.

Born in 1921, César’s early education in art began at the École des Beaux-Arts in his hometown Marseille, followed by further studies at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. César was first influenced by the metal sculpture of Constantin Brâncuşi, Pablo Picasso and Alberto Giacometti. He soon began experimenting with new techniques and materials, becoming associated with the 1960s Paris-based Nouveau Réalisme movement, a response to Pop Art that involved artists such as Yves Klein.

Renowned for his Compression series, César used a hydraulic crusher to compress objects like cars, metal, and other discarded materials into compact, dense blocks. The transformative nature of sculptures challenges conventional notions of art and materials and the values of mass production. César later used molten plastic and crystal, pouring the viscous liquids into figural moulds so that they would solidify into what he called Expansion.

César’s works can be found in the permanent collections of museums and public spaces across the world, including his iconic, 40-foot bronze thumb sculpture, Le Pouce (1965) which can be found in Paris’s La Défence district. He also designed the award trophy for the Césars — the French equivalent of the Oscars. César died in Paris in 1998.