Tinguely worked extensively in metal sculpture within the French avant garde scene and shared with César a fascination for transforming industrial and everyday materials into expressive sculptural forms with a sense of raw energy and wit.

As a fellow Nouveau Réaliste and close contemporary of César, Arman worked with accumulation and transformation of objects often cast in bronze, exploring similar themes of material metamorphosis and sculptural density in three dimensional work.

Chamberlain created powerful sculptures from compressed and manipulated metal forms, sharing César's interest in the expressive potential of metal under pressure and the sculptural drama of compressed industrial material rendered as fine art objects.