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Artworks
César France, 1921-1998
Compression d'orfèvrerie (two works), 1972Compressed silverware(i): 24 by 14.9 by 14.9 cm (9½ by 5⅞ by 5⅞ in.)
(ii): 25 by 15.4 by 15 cm (9⅞ by 6⅛ by 5⅞ in.)Each inscribed 'César' and dated '72' (near the lower edge)54617$120,000Further images
Executed in 1972. These works are registered in the archives of Denyse Durand-Ruel under numbers (i.) 7128 and (ii.) 7690. In Compression d'orfèvrerie, one of the artist’s celebrated Compressions, César...Executed in 1972. These works are registered in the archives of Denyse Durand-Ruel under numbers (i.) 7128 and (ii.) 7690. In Compression d'orfèvrerie, one of the artist’s celebrated Compressions, César condensed silverware into two rectangular cubes of concentrated volume. César’s Compressions, including the present work, testify to the radical nature of avant-garde experiments of the period (both in France and in the United States with John Chamberlain), which utilized readymade objects to challenge the accepted formalism of modern sculpture. Harmonious structure, compositional balance and tracings of the artist’s handwork were replaced by a prioritization of social critique.Provenance
Private Collection, Zurich (acquired directly from the artist circa 1975; sale: Sotheby's New York, September 22, 2011, lot 67)
Marjorie S. Fisher, Palm Beach (acquired at the above sale; sale: Sotheby's New York, March 2, 2017, lot 135)
Acquired at the above sale by the present ownerExhibitions
New York, Di Donna Galleries, A Surrealist Banquet, 2017, no. 4Literature
P. Restany, César, New York, 1976, no. 195, illustrated in color p. 216 (one of the works illustrated; titled Compression 2a; dated 1971)
