23 - Claude Viseux (1927–2008)

Claude Viseux (1927–2008) Self-Portrait Made of stainless steel covered with leather and colored glass beads for the eyes, with bronze at the mouth; signed on the base. 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 ultimately decided to pursue painting. Success came almost immediately: his first exhibition was held at the Vibaud Gallery in 1952; by 1955, his works were being shown at René Drouin’s gallery; and in 1956, Daniel Cordier chose him—for his very first exhibition! In 1957, he was honored by Léo Castelli in New York! Starting in 1959–1960, he created his first sculptures using objects found along the seashore—imprints of stones and seaweed cast in bronze—followed by industrial steel that was cut, assembled, and welded, in the style of his Surrealist friends Max Ernst, Man Ray, 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 massive 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 organized an exhibition titled “Viseux” from June through 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.