Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 6

César Baldaccini
Tête Eiffel pivotante
1989

Name: Tête Eiffel pivotante
Brand: César Baldaccini
Rating: 5 (16 reviews)

About the Item

Napoléon. (Epruve d’artiste EA 1/2) Bocquel fondeur. Acquired directly from the artist. Signed by the artist. César Baldaccini (1921 – 1998) is one of the great sculptors of the twentieth century. As a young man he took a stand for art that was firmly anchored in reality, as a counterweight to the lyrical, abstract painting of the time. He has transformed rusty bolts, screws, scrap metal and steel wire into biomorphic sculptures depicting everything from chickens on roller skates to self-portraits of the artist. In his magical hands, metal from the junk-heap, old car parts, discarded cans and plexiglass have been compacted into delightful cubistic works of art that César himself has called “compressions”. As a kind of antithesis to these, he experimented by expanding plastics, glass, aluminium and bronze into voluptuously inflated forms known as “expansions”. Among César’s casts of sculpted breasts, female torsos and clenched fists, it is the thumb that, above all else, has emerged as the artist’s hallmark – his own, greatly enlarged thumb in bronze. Exhibited for the first time at the Galerie Claude Bernard in Paris in 1965, today you can see it – in bronze or marble – in museums and public places all over the world. His largest bronze thumb, measuring fully 12 metres in height, stands in La Défense in Paris. In similar fashion, the artist’s signature is always accompanied by his thumb print. Born in Marseilles in 1921, by the age of 12 César had already left school to work in his father’s wine merchants business. In 1935, however, he enrolled at the École des Beaux Arts in Marseilles. He continued his art studies in 1943 at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts in Paris, sharing a house for some time with Alberto Giacometti. In 1960 he was invited to join the group of artists known as “les Nouveaux Réalistes”, where he worked together with Arman, Pierre Restany, Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely and others. César’s genius lies in his ability to coax artistic forms from whatever materials may be at hand. “When I was a child,” he recalled, “I used to think that a sculptor was a man who chipped away at stone with a hammer and chisel. It was only later that I understood you can make sculptures from any material you choose.” In the early 1940s César discovered the opportunities that scrap metal opened up, and his first solo exhibition, “Animaux en ferraille” (or “Scrap metal animals”), was held at the Galerie Lucien Durand in Paris in 1954. “I don’t choose my materials to suit a particular motif,” he once said. “It’s the material itself that shapes the expression I give to my sculptures.”

Creator:
César Baldaccini (1921 - 1998, French)
Creation Year:
1989
Dimensions:
Height: 20.87 in (53 cm)Width: 11.42 in (29 cm)Depth: 10.63 in (27 cm)
Medium:
Bronze
Movement & Style:
Contemporary
Period:
1980-1989
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Malmo, SE
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU32812804162

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Carlo Rampazzi
Seating Group Green Velvet, 2007

$21,342

H 43.71 in W 98.43 in D 35.44 in

Kestrel Closed Wings - 21st Century Contemporary Bronze Sculpture of a Bird

Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant

Mark Dedrie Kestrel Closed Wings Bronze Sculpture Hight bronze 30 x 12 x 8 cm Belgian artist Mark Dedrie is internationally renowned for his elegant bronze sculptures, particularly...

Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Mark Dedrie
Kestrel Closed Wings - 21st Century Contemporary Bronze Sculpture of a Bird, 2025

$18,307

H 11.82 in W 4.73 in D 3.15 in

Long eared owl - 21st Century Contemporary Bronze Sculpture of an Owl

Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant

Mark Dedrie Long eared owl II Bronze Sculpture Hight bronze 40 x 17 x 12 cm Belgian artist Mark Dedrie is internationally renowned for his elegant bronze sculptures, particularly o...

Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Mark Dedrie
Long eared owl - 21st Century Contemporary Bronze Sculpture of an Owl, 2025

$19,919

H 15.75 in W 6.7 in D 4.73 in

Tolla Inbar, Happy books, Bronze sculpture

By Tolla Inbar

Located in Tel Aviv, IL

Tolla Inbar, My first book, bronze sculpture, International artist, Israeli artist, Figurative sculpture, art

Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Tolla Inbar
Tolla Inbar, Happy books, Bronze sculpture, 2015

$5,000

H 15.47 in W 15.47 in D 15.47 in

Tolla Inbar, Encouragement, outdoor bronze sculpture

By Tolla Inbar

Located in Tel Aviv, IL

Tolla Inbar, Encouragement, outdoor sculpture, large piece, garden sculptures, bronze sculpture, ropes, mutual help, International artist, Israeli artist, Figurative sculpture, art

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Tolla Inbar
Tolla Inbar, Encouragement, outdoor bronze sculpture, 2005

$37,000

H 122 in W 27 in

Tolla Inbar, Pegasus, bronze sculpture

By Tolla Inbar

Located in Tel Aviv, IL

Tolla Inbar, Pegasus, bronze sculpture, horse, mutual help, spiritual sculpture, International artist, Israeli artist, Figurative sculpture, art

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Tolla Inbar
Tolla Inbar, Pegasus, bronze sculpture, 2005

$9,000

H 23.62 in W 19.68 in

Elongated Sitting Girl I- contemporary bronze sculpture, female with white dress

By Susanne Kraisser

Located in Hamburg, DE

"Elongated Sitting Girl I" is a small, free-standing bronze sculpture with a white dress. Edition 18, signed, numbered and dated on the bottom. Certificate. The sculptress Susanne K...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Susanne Kraisser
Elongated Sitting Girl I- contemporary bronze sculpture, female with white dress, 2023

$2,015

H 3.55 in W 5.52 in D 1.58 in

Ballerina - Bronze sculpture of a figurativ standing ballerina contemporary art

Located in Hamburg, DE

"Ballerina" is a unique bronze scultpure (2023) of Bulgarian mid career artist Günay Aliev. In this sculpture the artist depicts a nude ballerina standing on her tows with legs toge...

Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Günay Aliev
Ballerina - Bronze sculpture of a figurativ standing ballerina contemporary art, 2023

$1,163

H 11.03 in W 3.55 in D 3.55 in

Don Quichotte - Bronze sculpture of a bull attacking figurativ contemporary art

Located in Hamburg, DE

"Don Quichotte" is a unique bronze scultpure (2024) of Bulgarian mid career artist Günay Aliev. In this scultpure the artist depicts a forceful bull attacking. The bronze comes att...

Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Günay Aliev
Don Quichotte - Bronze sculpture of a bull attacking figurativ contemporary art, 2025

$2,845

H 9.45 in W 11.82 in D 3.55 in

Ballerina Blue Skirt- Bronze sculpture of a figurativ ballerina contemporary art

Located in Hamburg, DE

"Ballerina Blue Skirt" is a unique bronze scultpure (2023) of Bulgarian mid career artist Günay Aliev. In this sculpture the artist depicts a ballerina with a blusih skirt standing ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Günay Aliev
Ballerina Blue Skirt- Bronze sculpture of a figurativ ballerina contemporary art, 2023

$1,161

H 11.03 in W 3.55 in D 3.55 in

More From This Seller

View All

Hera, Désincarnée

By Arman

Located in Malmo, SE

Original sculpture EA 2/2 Signed and numbered by the artist and stamped Bocquel fondeur. Acquired directly from the artist. Free shipment worldwide. Arman wrote, “The bow on the st...

Category

1980s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Arman
Hera, Désincarnée, 1986

$41,499

Free Shipping

Hello Pablo

By Fernandez Arman

Located in Malmo, SE

Publisher GKM. Free shipment worldwide. Foundry Bocquel. Edition of 100 ex. Arman wrote, “The bow on the strings releases an explosion of sounds,” in the book Trio à cordes published by GKM Siwert Bergström nearly twenty years ago. The words are his own. The book is a tender homage to music and expresses the artist’s predilection for the tones of violin, cello and double bass. Lyrically orchestrated poems are conflated with ingenious detail images: multi-coloured violins and a delicately painted cello are but two of the motifs drawn against the straight lines of the score. The first steps towards collaboration with GKM Siwert Bergström came with an exhibition in Malmö, when Arman staged a “happening” in Malmö Concert Hall. This was followed by several exhibitions in Malmö, at the Stockholm Art...

Category

1990s Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Fernandez Arman
Hello Pablo, 1995

$7,707

Free Shipping

Encre de Chine

By Arman

Located in Malmo, SE

Signed and numbered EA 2/2 ex. Free shipment worldwide. Arman wrote, “The bow on the strings releases an explosion of sounds,” in the book Trio à cordes published by GKM Siwert Ber...

Category

1980s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Arman
Encre de Chine, 1986

Price Upon Request

Free Shipping

Nu couche

By Arman

Located in Malmo, SE

Original sculpture 1/8 ex. Signed and numbered by the artist and stamped Bocquel fondeur. Acquired directly from the artist. Free shipment worldwide. Arman wrote, “The bow on the ...

Category

1980s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Arman
Nu couche, 1983

$41,499

Free Shipping

Les pinceaux

By Fernandez Arman

Located in Malmo, SE

Publisher GKM. Free shipment worldwide. Foundry Bocquel. Edition of 100 ex. Arman wrote, “The bow on the strings releases an explosion of sounds,” in the book Trio à cordes publishe...

Category

1980s Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Fernandez Arman
Les pinceaux, 1989

$9,485

Free Shipping

Zeus tête vide.

By Arman

Located in Malmo, SE

From the series ”Gods and Goddesses”. Original sculpture: 3/8 ex Signed and numbered by the artist and stamped Bocquel fondeur. Acquired directly from the artist. Free shipment wor...

Category