Homage to Brancusi 1957

César Baldaccini, known simply as César, created this sculpture out of iron in France, sometime in the latter half of the twentieth century. It is titled "Homage to Brancusi", and it exemplifies how artists position themselves in relation to art history. César was a part of the Nouveau Réalisme movement, a French version of pop art. His work often incorporated found objects and industrial materials. Like other Nouveau Réalistes, César was interested in the detritus of consumer culture, and the ways it could be transformed into art. His best-known works involved taking crushed cars and compacting them into abstract forms. In this work, though, César turns to the history of sculpture and the influence of Constantin Brancusi. The sculpture sits on a pedestal, emphasizing the way that museums and galleries consecrate certain objects. To understand César’s relationship to Brancusi, we can examine the archives of art magazines and exhibition catalogues. These sources help us to understand how art reflects the society in which it was made.