Ghada Amer, Paravent Girls: Suzy Playing, Jennifer and Barbara, L’Étonnement d’Amélie, 2021-2022
Presented by Tina Kim Gallery, Marianne Boesky Gallery, and Goodman Gallery
Born in 1963 in Cairo, lives and works in New York
Variable dimensions
Lost wax cast bronze with patina
In her paintings, sculptures and embroidered works, Ghada Amer depicts women as erotically empowered in order to upturn notions of objectification and visibility. Paravent Girls originated as cardboard boxes upon which Amer drew faces before transforming them into clay molds, later cast in bronze. With visible grooves, the sculptures retain evidence of their original forms. Acting as screens which conceal the gaze, the works invite viewers to consider boundaries between public and private life.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Tina Kim Gallery, New York. Photograph by Dario Lasagni.
Heinz Mack, Silver Stele, 2015
Presented by Beck & Eggeling
Born in 1931 in Lollar, lives and works in Mönchengladbach and Ibiza
600 x 400 x 400 cm
Tesserae (mosaic stones with 24 ct. gold leaf) on a construction of composite
Heinz Mack was among a group of European artists who founded the ZERO Art movement to emphasize material purity in art. Believing in the transformative power of light, Mack experimented with materials to reflect, transmit and shape it. His “Stele” series featured monolithic columns covered in reflective materials, which both respond to and affect their surroundings. This Silver Stele is covered in 80,000 reflective mosaic stones and white gold leaf, creating a mesmerizing interplay of light.
Photo credit: Heinz Mack, Silver Stele, 2015, installation view at Beck & Eggeling sculpture garden, Dortmund/Germany (2015) ©️ VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2024. Courtesy of the artist and Beck & Eggeling International Fine Art.
César, Pouce, 1965-1988
Presented by Almine Rech
Born in 1921 in Marseille, died in 1998 in Paris
350 x 200 x 142 cm
Polished bronze, varnished Fondeur Bocquel
César was a key figure of the Nouveau Réalisme movement, which recontextualized everyday objects as art. Known for his compression of metal objects such as cars, he began experimenting with plastic and resin in the 1960s, leading to “Pouce”, a series based on his own thumb. The series started with a 40-centimetre thumb cast in plastic, meticulously capturing every detail. César went on to recreate it in various sizes and materials, including polyester, crystal, and—in this case—bronze
Photo credit: Courtesy of Almine Rech and Fondation César.
Amilcar de Castro, Untitled, 1990
Presented by Galeria Marilia Razuk
Born in 1920 in Paraisópolis, died in 2002 in Belo Horizonte
Steel
98 x 100 x 74 cm
Early in his career, Amilcar de Castro worked as a graphic designer in Brazil, laying out newspapers and magazines. His talent for transforming flat surfaces naturally extended to his subsequent sculptural practice. De Castro’s distinctive “one cut, one fold” technique involved slicing and bending metal sheets without adding, removing, or soldering any material. The resulting minimalist forms evolve gracefully over time, with rust and textural aging becoming integral elements of their character.
Photo credit: Amilcar de Castro, Untitled, 1990. Courtesy of Galeria Marilia Razuk / Instituto Amilcar de Castro.
Richard Long, Gold Rush, 2006
Presented by Sperone Westwater
Born in 1945 in Bristol, lives and works in Bristol
25 x 792.5 x 640.1 cm
Granite
Richard Long is an English sculptor known for his work in Land Art. Reflecting his conviction that art can be created from the most ordinary elements, Long’s installations often see him traversing landscapes to arrange natural materials like rocks, mud, and water. Originally created for his 2006 exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Gold Rush is a triangular arrangement of granite stones collected by the artist from an abandoned mine in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California.
Photo credit: Courtesy of the artist and Sperone Westwater
Thomas Schütte, Tribute to Moondog, 2024
Presented by Peter Freeman, Inc.
Born in 1954 in Oldeburg, lives and works in Düsseldorf
220 x 90 x 100 cm
Patinated bronze on artist’s steel base
This bust pays homage to Moondog, a blind musician, performer, and poet known for his eccentric Viking attire and presence in New York’s underground scene. Created using a lost-wax casting process, the sculpture’s is a reimagined version of Schütte’s 2004 Hund III—an approach characteristic of the artist’s method of revising his own work. Its presence in Paris is a nod to Moondog’s close connection to the city in his final years.
Photo credit: Photograph by Luise Heuter.
Roberto Sebastian Matta, Matta’s Tribal Sculptures, 1991-2009
Presented by Galleria d’Arte Maggiore G.A.M.
Born in 1911 in Santiago, died in 2002 in Civitavecchia
Variable dimensions
Bronze
Initially trained as an architect, Roberto Sebastian Matta became involved with the surrealist movement in Paris, where he associated with other prominent artists and developed a distinctive style characterized by dreamlike imagery and psychological themes. This selection of five bronze sculptures from the 1990s reflects Matta’s Latin American heritage and European influences. Arranged here together, they resemble tribal totems inhabiting an imagined, otherworldly realm.
Photo credit: © Maggiore g.a.m. / ACP Palazzo Franchetti / Fondazione Calarota | Installation views of the exhibition ‘The XX Century’ at Palazzo Franchetti, ACP Palazzo Franchetti, Venice, 2019.