Éric Tardiff creates provocative and dynamic outdoor sculptures. The Quebec artist’s abstract work is designed to actively engage the viewer.
“Playful while being contemplative, my work offers the viewer the opportunity to observe and react to the angle and the color of each component on its own terms.” Éric Tardif
Native of Kamouraska, son of the Bas Saint-Laurent, it is by creating photo-graphic atmospheres at the limit of figuration and abstraction that Eric Tardif sought to translate the impression of wide-open spaces and horizons without end.
Having initially chosen Natural Sciences as his first passion, he subsequently studied in the arts, including sculpture, to explore his talents. More and more, he decided to express his vision of things, and it was within the framework of his sculpture lessons that the idea of linking the dimension of movement and space was developed. Through his research and his discoveries on a technique of folding wood with steam, an avant-garde technique and not traditional in Quebec, he arrived at a singular mode of expression where the movement of his works seems to register in all lightness. He has received grants from CALQ and SODEC for several years.
He has more than 100 exhibitions to his name around the world, and his work can be found in 10 galleries across North America.
If you’re thinking about decorating your space with abstract sculpture, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
You don’t have to look for a piece that demands attention. Find a work of abstract sculpture that speaks to you. As is the case with any abstract art, whether it’s sculpture, an abstract painting or a grouping of prints, you can select a work for your living room or dining room, for example, that will either casually fade into the background or serve as a focal point. When you’re thinking about how to arrange your furniture and decor, consider color, texture and what kind of energy you’d like a specific room or corner to evoke. Abstract sculpture can go a long way in elevating a home, and its history is interesting if you’re shopping for a new piece today.
As a pioneer in naturalistic forms and figures that vividly express emotion, Auguste Rodin is often called the father of modern sculpture. His work in the 19th and early 20th century broke with artistic conventions and inspired modernism, leading to a new period of avant-garde abstraction.
Among the first artists to push abstract sculpture into the mainstream were Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. They helped define the movement of Cubism, which focused on deconstructing the world abstractly.
Later in the 20th century, the artistic movements of Italian Futurism, Dadaism, Neo-Dadaism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism and minimalism all contributed to the advancement of new and more abstract sculpture designs. Italian Futurism, for example, celebrated movement, dynamics and technology in abstract sculpture. These movements passed down ideas that continue to inform abstract sculpture today.
Browse a range of modern abstract sculptures, postmodern abstract sculptures and other kinds of sculpture on 1stDibs.
