Iconic and iconoclastic. Prolific and destructive. Reverential and rebellious. “Loved and detested,” according to his obituary in Le Monde, the French newspaper. What distinguishes César (1921-1998) from other giants of postwar art is the dichotomous, dangerous dynamism of his oeuvre. Within his sculptures, there are antithetical forces at work ~ pushing and pulling against the modern tradition, the French cultural establishment, and the nascent mass consumerism of his time. A founding member of the 20th-century Nouveau Réalisme movement, César looms large in the art canon. His masterpieces remain ever relevant, offering fresh perspectives.
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