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French sculpture and object artist born César Baldaccini, in Marseille. 1935-42 Studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris- From 1950 made metal sculptures from collected pieces of industrial waste and scrap metal. 1954 First solo exhibition Animaux en ferraille at the Lucien Durand Gallery in Paris. 1959-68 Participation in “documenta 2” and “4”, in Kassel. From 1960 started to produce Compressions Dirigées, metal objects compressed into rectangular cuboids with a hydraulic press. He took part in Nouveau Réalisme events. 1961 During a visit to America he became acquainted with Duchamp and various Pop Art artists. Made compression using three cars, a Buick (from USA), a Zimm (from Soviet Union) and a Sunbeam (from England). Participated in the exhibition The Art of Assemblage, MoMA, New York. Created sculptures which represent enlarged parts of the body such as thumbs or parts of the chest. 1967 First Expansions: happening-like events involving the pouring of liquid plastics. 1970 Professorship at the École Nationale des Beaux Arts in Paris. 1972 Mask series with the cast of his own face. 1985/86 Flat compressions of Peugeot cars. 1991 Pop Art, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1993 Retrospective, Musée de la Vieille Charité, Marseille, 1995 Venice Biennale, 1997 Major retrospective at the Galerie du Jeu de Paume in Paris. Lives in Paris.

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