Bernar Venet (born 20 April 1941) is a French conceptual artist. He was the 2016 recipient of the International Sculpture Center's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Early life

Bernar Venet was born to Jean-Marie Venet, a school teacher and chemist, and Adeline Gilly and was the youngest of four boys. He was brought up in Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban and had a religious upbringing, aspiring to become a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

. He struggled with asthma and academic subjects at school, while excelling in drawing and painting.Peppiat, Michael & Jane A. Peterson, "Art Plural: Voices of Contemporary Art" ''Gatehouse''
"Art Plural: Voices of Contemporary Art"
''Gatehouse''; accessed 21 October 2017. With the support of a local artist, he became interested in painting and drawing at a young age. At age 11, discovering a book on

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; ; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French people, French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionism, Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially femininity, fe ...

, he first considered making a career of art. After several attempts at gaining a formal education in the arts, he worked as a stage designer at the Nice Opera in 1959. In 1961, Venet joined the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

whilst also starting to establish his style as an artist. During this period, he painted with

tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black b ...

, creating his art with his feet in a gestural style. This work eventually developed into black monochromatic paintings which eschewed all forms of

action painting Action painting, sometimes called "gestural abstraction", is a style of painting in which paint is spontaneously dribbled, splashed or smeared onto the canvas, rather than being carefully applied. The resulting work often emphasizes the physical ...

Career

After completing his military service, Venet returned to

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million

1960s

Subsequently, Venet became familiar with the work of

Arman Arman (November 17, 1928 – October 22, 2005) was a French and American artist. Born Armand Fernandez in Nice, France, Arman was a painter who moved from using objects for the ink or paint traces they leave (''cachets'', ''allures d'objet'') t ...

and some of the New Realists in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, such as César Baldaccini, Raymond Hains and Jacques Villeglé, and started sculpting with cardboard. He exhibited alongside New Realists and pop artists' works in the Salon Comparisons at the Paris

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

. In 1966, during a two-month visit to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, Venet was influenced by

minimalism In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...

, consequently incorporating this style into his art (cfr. ''Tubes''). In 1967, Venet moved to New York and shared fellow artist

's studio, at 84 Walker Street (formerly

Jean Tinguely Jean Tinguely (22 May 1925 – 30 August 1991) was a Swiss sculptor best known for his kinetic art sculptural machines (known officially as Métamatics) that extended the Dada tradition into the later part of the 20th century.Chilvers, Ian; Gl ...

's). In the late 1960s, Venet's work was published in ''0 to 9'' magazine, an avant-garde journal which experimented with language and meaning-making.

1970s

From 1971 to 1976, Venet did not create any art, entering a period of retrospection. He took up teaching Art and Art Theory at the

Paris-Sorbonne University Paris-Sorbonne University (also known as Paris IV; ) was a public university, public research university in Paris, France, active from 1971 to 2017. It was the main inheritor of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Paris. In 2018, it m ...

, and frequented lectures in

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Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. He resumed his artistic activity in 1976, exhibiting works at " Documenta VI" in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...

in 1977. In 1979, he created a series of wood reliefs, entitling them ''Arcs, Angels, Diagonals''. and had a solo exhibition at the Hal Bromm Gallery in New York, NY.

1980s and 1990s

During the 1980s, Venet continued to develop his art along logical lines. He also composed, choreographed and imagined the costumes and designs for Jean-Louis Martinoty’s production of the ballet ''

Graduation A graduation is the awarding of a diploma by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it, which can also be called Commencement speech, commencement, Congregation (university), congregation, Convocat ...

''. In the 1990s, he created his ''Indeterminate Lines'' series and subsequently his ''Arcs'', which have been exhibited at various locations, including

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

and internationally. His 1994 piece ''Four Indeterminate Lines'' is exhibited at the Skulpturen Park Köln.

Recent years

Venet’s work has become known internationally, with sculptures exhibited in

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and more recently

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. In 2005, Venet received the title of Chevalier de La Legion d’Honneur, France’s highest honour. In 2012, Venet was commissioned by Alan Gibbs, an art collector based in

. His newest and largest sculpture stands in the Gibbs Farm sculpture park. That same year, the luxury car maker

Bugatti Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a German then French automotive industry, manufacturer of high performance vehicle, high-performance automobiles. The company was founded in 1909 in the then-German Empire, German city of Molsheim, Alsace, by the ...

invited Venet to create a one-off artwork to be applied to a Veyron Grand Sport. The finished work, described as "the fastest artwork ever", was revealed at the Rubell Family Collection in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

during Art Basel Miami Beach. Venet has also had a major presence in Asia in collaboration with de Sarthe. In 2012, the artist had a major exhibition of public art in Hong Kong in collaboration with the gallery, showing 7 large-scale steel sculptures in the piazzas adjacent to the

Hong Kong Cultural Centre The Hong Kong Cultural Centre (HKCC, ) is a public multipurpose performance facility in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. Located at Salisbury Road, it was built by the former Urban Council and, since 2000, has been administered by the Leisure a ...

and

Hong Kong Museum of Art The Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) is the first and one of the main art museums of Hong Kong, located in located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, near the Victoria Harbour waterfront, providing a scenic view of Hong Kong’s skyline. It is a publ ...

. In 2019, de Sarthe and

Sotheby's Sotheby's ( ) is a British-founded multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine art, fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

co-organized a live performance by Venet to benefit amfAR. In 2024, a major restrospective exhibition was hosted for the artist at the Phoenix Center in Beijing, curated by Jonas Stampe and Xiao Ge, in partnership with de Sarthe and the artist's studio. In 2016, Venet was awarded the International Sculpture Center's Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award. Venet was represented by Blain Southern from 2016 until the gallery went into administration in early 2020. In November 2020, it was announced that Venet had joined the roster of Waddington Custot in London. In 2022, in his first exhibition with Waddington Custot,
Hypotheses
', Venet presented a new collection of his large-scale ''Angles'' series, alongside drawings and smaller sculptures. In 2021 he joined König Galerie and exhibited at the Ceysson & Bénétière Gallery in Paris.

Works

*'' Arc de 124,5°'' (1987),

Tempelhof-Schöneberg Tempelhof-Schöneberg () is the seventh borough of Berlin, formed in 2001 by merging the former boroughs of Tempelhof and Schöneberg. Situated in the south of the city it shares borders with the boroughs of Mitte and Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg in ...

, Berlin *'' Indeterminate Line'' (1987), Beverly Hills, California (58-inch high); a later version (2004), Colorado Convention Center,

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

*''Two Indeterminate Lines'' (1993),

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

(MIT) campus,

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

Selected bibliography

*Derieux, Florence,

Barry Schwabsky Barry Schwabsky (b. Paterson, New Jersey, in 1957) is an American art critic, art historian and poet. He has taught at the School of Visual Arts, Pratt Institute, New York University, Yale University, and Goldsmiths College, among others. Ar ...

, Clare Lilley, ''Bernar Venet'',

Phaidon Press Phaidon Press is a global publisher of books on art, architecture, design, fashion, photography, and popular culture, as well as cookbooks, children's books, and travel books. The company is based in London and New York City, with additional of ...

, London, 2020 *Davila, Thierry (ed.), ''La conversion du regard'', Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain, Geneva, Switzerland, 2013 *Chappell, Daniel, "Big Art on Highway 16", in ''Art News New Zealand.'' Autumn 2012, pp. 84–90 *Du Chateau, Carroll; White, David, "Out There – Inside the extraordinary world of one of New Zealand's richest people" in ''New Zealand Listener'', no. 3749, 17 March 2012 *Altieri, Gilles and Olivier Schefer, ''Bernar Venet, Peintures 2001-2011'' Hôtel des Arts, Toulon, France, 2011 *Beate Reifenscheid and Dorothea van der Koelen; ''Arte in Movimento – Kunst in Bewegung'', Dokumente unserer Zeit XXXIV; Chorus-Verlag; Mainz 2011; *Marcadé, Bernard, Brian O'Doherty, ''Venet – Versailles'', Editions du Regard, Paris, France, 2011 *Laks, Déborah, ''L'hypothèse de la ligne droite'', Editions de la Différence, Paris, France, 2010 * Kuspit, Donald, ''Art: A Matter of Context, Writings 1975–2003: Bernar Venet'', Hard Press Editions, 2004 *McEvilley, Thomas, ''Bernar Venet'', Artha Benteli, 2002 *Rose, Barbara, ''La paradoja de la coherencia / The paradox of coherence'', La imprenta & Institut Valencià d'Art Modern (IVAM), Valencia, Spain, 2010 *Schefer, Olivier, ''Bernar Venet: Paintings 1961-2011: A Retrospective'', Seoul, South Korea * Francblin, Catherine, ''Bernar Venet : toute une vie pour l'art'', Editions Gallimard, Paris, France, 2022 (Témoins de l'art)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Venet, Bernar 1941 births Living people Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Knights of the Legion of Honour French conceptual artists French contemporary artists Mathematical artists Members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts Artists from Nice