Compression de tonneaux
1969
A striking example of César's celebrated "Compressions" series, this work transforms industrial barrels into a compact, sculptural mass through the artist's signature process of mechanical compression. The resulting form preserves the raw, tactile energy of the crushed metal, capturing a tension between destruction and creation. César elevates discarded industrial objects into a meditation on material transformation and the aesthetics of modern waste.
- Location
- Phillips, Salt Lake City, UT
- Spotted At
- Auction House · PhillipsView on map
🔨 Auction Lot
20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale
June 29, 2017
Artists in conversation
John Chamberlain
American · b. 1927
Chamberlain crushed and welded automotive scrap metal into compact sculptural forms, sharing César's direct engagement with industrial compression and the transformation of discarded metallic materials into abstract three dimensional compositions.
Jean Tinguely
Swiss · b. 1925
A fellow Nouveau Réalisme associate, Tinguely assembled industrial and mechanical refuse into sculptural works that similarly celebrate the raw aesthetics of modern waste and the poetic tension between destruction and artistic creation.
Arman
French · b. 1928
As a core member of Nouveau Réalisme alongside César, Arman accumulated and compacted found industrial objects into dense sculptural masses, directly paralleling the compression aesthetic and meditation on consumerist waste central to this specific work.
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