Seno

CÉSAR BALDACCINI

Born in Marseille on January 1, 1921 to Italian parents. Studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Marseille from 1935 to 1939 and later at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He settled permanently in Paris in 1943, moving above Alberto Giacometti’s studio, where he met Jean Cocteau, Pablo Picasso, and Jean Paul Sartre. In 1952 he began making sculptures by welding together scrap iron, becoming known for his massive sculptures representing insects, various types of animals, nudes, etc. His first major solo exhibition was held in Paris, at the Salon de Mai, in 1955. It was so successful that all the works in the exhibition sold out in a short time, and the artist was invited to participate in the 1957 Venice Biennale. In 1960 he created the first “compression,” achieved by precisely compressing scrap cars until they became compact packages. In the same year César joined the Nouveaux Réalistes group, which included Arman, Yves Klein, Martial Raysse, Jean Tinguely, Pierre Restany and others.