SwissArtGallery · Documented identity
French artist Bernar Venet, born in 1941 in Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban, develops a body of work that moves from raw materials and conceptual proposals to monumental sculptures installed in public spaces. After failing the entrance examination for the Arts décoratifs de Nice in 1958, he takes drawing and painting classes at the Villa Thiole for a year, then works as a decorative assistant at the Nice Opera, a position he holds between 1958 and 1960.
Between 1961 and 1963, he exhibits canvases covered in tar; in 1963, he also makes monochrome cardboard reliefs. That same year, Tas de charbon takes the form of a heap of coal poured directly onto the ground, in a proposal described as a conceptual work. In 1964, he exhibits abstract cardboard reliefs at the Salon Comparaisons, at the Musée d’art moderne de la ville de Paris. Having moved to New York in 1966 on Arman’s advice, Venet continues his conceptual work from 1967 with non-visual works on magnetic tape and sound recordings. From 1971 to 1976, he suspends his artistic production and devotes himself to teaching and lectures, notably at the Sorbonne, as well as at other universities and institutions in France and Europe.
In 1983, Venet conceives Lignes indéterminées in Corten steel. They are installed in urban spaces and public collections, notably in Nice, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Strasbourg, Beijing, Austin and San Francisco, as well as at the Musée de Grenoble. He presents them at the Templon Gallery, and then at Leo Castelli’s in New York in 1986. In 1987, the Arc de 124.5°, standing over 36 metres high, is commissioned for the 750th anniversary of Berlin and installed at Alexanderplatz. Another project, Arc majeur, proposed in 1984 for the A6 motorway, does not proceed at that location; the work is finally installed on the E411 motorway in Belgium in 2019. From the conception of the Lignes indéterminées onwards, Venet receives public commissions and installs monumental sculptures in various cities. In 2011, he is invited to exhibit in the grounds of the Palace of Versailles.
This profile brings together identity references for Bernar Venet and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.
Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer · Kornfeld · Germann · Lempertz
References include catalogue entries and available results; they do not all represent completed sales. Attributed works and special lots are excluded from the priced results.
Pastel, charcoal and collage on paper
Autobahnprojekt Orly-Paris A6, 1984
Pastell, Kohle und Collage auf Papier
Catalogue period : 2021-09-29
Published result : 5170 CHF
Including buyer’s premium
Estimate : CHF 4000–6000
View the lot at the auction house ↗Charcoal and ink drawing, the ink drawing mounted on strong paper
Ohne Titel
Charcoal and ink drawing, the ink drawing mounted on strong paper
Catalogue period : 2021-09-16
Published result : 11000 CHF
Hammer price, excluding fees
Estimate : CHF 6000
View the lot at the auction house ↗Gouache
Undetermined line
gouache
Catalogue period : 2019-06-14
Published result : 90000 CHF
Hammer price, excluding fees
Estimate : CHF 75000
View the lot at the auction house ↗
Acrylic on canvas
Position of Two Angles of 180° and 159°
Acryl auf Leinwand
Auction date : 2018-12-01
Published result : 111600 EUR
Including buyer’s premium
Estimate : 20000
View the lot at the auction house ↗Tuschzeichnung, die Tuschzeichnung auf festem Papier als Collage angebracht
Ohne Titel
Tuschzeichnung, die Tuschzeichnung auf festem Papier als Collage angebracht
Catalogue period : 2018-06-14
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
Estimate : CHF 8000
View the lot at the auction house ↗
Mixed media and collage on paper.
The Undetermined Line of Elizabeth Franck, 1988
Mischtechnik und Collage auf Papier.
Date to be documented
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
View the lot at the auction house ↗
Mixed media and collage on paper.
Undeterminated Line, 1984
Mischtechnik und Collage auf Papier.
Date to be documented
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
View the lot at the auction house ↗SwissArtGallery documentary note based on the cited sources. Titles, media and qualifications are provided in the profile language; the original catalogue wording remains available in each record.
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