César

(French, 1921-1998)

Le Centaure (Hommage à Picasso)
1983

Footnotes

This work is registered in the Archives Denyse Durand-Ruel, Paris, under no. 3243, and is accompanied by a photo-certificate of authenticity.

Provenance
Private Collection, Switzerland (gift from the artist)
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Literature
Pierre Restany, César, Paris 1988, p. 297, another example illustrated in colour
Daniel Abadie et. al., César: Oeuvres de 1947 à 1993, Marseille 1993, p. 141, another example illustrated in colour and p. 182, another example illustrated in black and white

This work is sold together with a signed and dedicated lithograph of the same subject measuring 55 by 76 cm.


Half man, half horse, the centaur is a quixotic being of ancient origins which has come to signify the contrasts innate in humanity. Often depicted as unpredictable and untamed (perhaps untameable), it combines the wildness of the beast with the intelligence of the human in one boisterous, sometimes bellicose beast. In César's Le Centaure (Hommage à Picasso) of 1983 we find not only these various attributes rendered in bronze, but also a self-portrait of the artist himself. In this representation of himself as a mythical chimera, César not only captures his own complex personality, but also pays his respects to Picasso, another artist fascinated by the concept of the centaur. The result is an outstanding sculpture, surely one of the artist's most iconic and desirable pieces, a work of art both aesthetically captivating and layered with reference and meaning.

César's centaur is clearly influenced by classical representations such as the British Museum's Parthenon metopes or the famous second century marble from Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli now held in the Musei Capitolini in Rome, a wonderful piece of ancient carving commonly known as the Elder Furtietti Centaur. But this is also an unmistakeably modern incarnation of the legendary beast: rather than the expected flesh and bone of a living creature, its body is formed from a gathered mass of apparently random items more suited to industrial machinery than a living being. Cogs, pistons and tools take the place of sinews, muscles and tendons in a distinctly Post-Modern sculptural collage. This re-appropriation of unexpected, found ephemera not only harks back to the early days of the artist's career, when he literally created work from scrap metal, but is also surely a nod to the Ready-Mades of Pablo Picasso, who is also referenced in the work's title. Like César, Picasso was drawn to the image of the centaur, no doubt inspired by its primeval sensuality and carnality. The sole meeting between the two artists, which took place in 1956, was apparently a great success, each voicing their admiration of the other's work.

Whilst César's work was so singular, so identifiable throughout his career, Le Centaure (Hommage à Picasso) of 1983 certainly demonstrates César's reverence for the Spanish master. It also exhibits the energy and irreverence often found in Picasso, and indeed César's finest works. A familiar image to Parisians, a monumental version of Le Centaure has dominated the Crois-Rouge crossroads in the French capital since its installation in 1985. The personal significance of this sculpture for the artist is revealed by the fact that it was also installed atop his grave in Paris' Montparnasse cemetery following his death in 1998. In Le Centaure (Hommage à Picasso) of 1983 we see the artist as he himself wanted to be seen: spirited and vigorous, leaping into action and ready for battle. A modern interpretation of an ancient image, it encapsulates the many contradictory aspects of César, human and animal, man and artist.