60 YEARS LATER: BERNAR VENET IN NICE

Until September 2

You must be familiar with Bernar Venet’s indeterminate lines. His Arcs in the Albert I garden and Quai des Etats-Unis are now part of the Nice urban landscape. This internationally renowned sculptor presently has his monumental pieces spread across all continents. How did it all start for this child of Alpes of Haute Provence? What was decisive for his meteoric rise in contemporary art history? An upcoming exhibition in Nice is about to give us a clue. This summer “Le 109” is taking us back to 1963.

Back in the day, the young artist Bernar Venet was working in a small workshop in Old Town. One night, on a building site, he discovered a pile of gravel and tar on the chic Avenue de Verdun. That’s how the concept of “Heap of Coal” came about. This first work marked his radical search for a new art. Eventually it took another dimension under the influence of the School of Nice. Invited by Arman, Bernar Venet then made a trip to New York. The exhibition “1963: 60 years later” is taking us back to these times when Venet was still looking for his style. Refusing the clichés, the sculptor was advocating new aesthetics and emotions. His approach to art is scientific, almost mathematical, eventually culminating in the monumental sculptures we know today.

Whilst at it, visit “A la volée” hosted by the vast “Le 109” hangar. Explore the works by “Prix Jeune Création 2018 & 2019” laureates: Mouna Bakouli, Amentia Siard Brochard and Johan Christ-Bertrand. The city of Nice and the Venet Foundation believe in these young artists’ talent.

1963. Un regard, 60 ans plus tard

A la volée

Le 109 89, Route de Turin, Nice