Compression by César

Have you noticed the unusual gold pendant that Carine Roitfeld wears frequently? This striking vintage piece is one of a limited series of "Compressions" made by César in 1971 for the jeweler Pascal Morabito. César Baldaccini, usually known simply as César, was a noted French sculptor at the forefront of the Nouveau Réalisme movement. He is famed for his radical compressions of materials such as compacted automobiles, discarded metal, or rubbish; his expansions such as his polyurethane foam sculptures; and his fantastic representations of animals and insects.

César's early work used junk materials and soldered and welded metal. In 1960 on a visit to a scrap yard in search of metal, he noticed a hydraulic crushing machine in action and he decided to begin experimenting with the element of compression in his sculpture. He selected the cars used for each of his compressions, mixing elements from vehicles of different colors. In this way he found he could control the surface pattern and color scheme of the piece. César astonished art lovers by exhibiting three crushed cars at a Paris show and he became renowned for these compressions. His later works also include sculptures made from molten crystal.

Carine Roitfeld wearing Compression pendant by César photograph by Inez van Lamsweerde et Vinoodh Matadin courtesy of Purple Fashion No. 5