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Claude Viseux (1927–2008) Self-portrait Made of stainless st…
See original version (French)
23
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Claude Viseux (1927–2008) Self-portrait Made of stainless st…
See original version (French)
Estimate €1,500 - €2,500
Voluntary lot
Description
Claude Viseux (1927–2008) Self-portrait Made of stainless steel covered in leather, with coloured glass beads for the eyes and bronze for the mouth; signed on the plinth. H. 31 cm W. 15 cm D. 15 cm ‘Being an observer is not enough. I must capture and recreate the appearance of things in another form to better negate reality.”
— Claude Viseux
Claude Viseux was born and raised in Champagne-sur-Oise, in the Paris region. In 1946, he studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he met Jean Prouvé and Constantin Brancusi, and eventually decided to turn to painting.
Success was almost immediate: his first exhibition was held at the Galerie Vibaud in 1952; by 1955 his works were being shown at René Drouin’s gallery; then, in 1956, Daniel Cordier chose him – for his very first exhibition! In 1957, he was honoured by Léo Castelli in New York! From 1959–1960, he created his first sculptures using objects found on the seashore – casts in bronze of stones and seaweed – followed by industrial steel, cut, assembled and welded in the style of his Surrealist friends Max Ernst, Man Ray and Henri Michaux…
In 1972, he represented the French pavilion at the Venice Biennale alongside Christian Boltanski, Jean le Gac and Gérard Titus-Carmel, where he unveiled his famous ‘Instables’ series. That same year, he installed a huge stainless-steel sculpture suspended in the Auber RER station in Paris. In 1977, to mark his 50th birthday, the Musée d’Art moderne de la ville de Paris organised an exhibition entitled ‘Viseux’ from June to September. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he made numerous trips to India, whose myths and traditions subtly permeated his drawings and collages, and whose influence can also be seen in his sculptures.
See original version (French)
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Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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