Bernar Venet

French artist Bernar Venet (born 1941) is perhaps best known for his steel sculptures, but he was also an accomplished and prolific painter. This publication highlights 50 years of his paintings, from the earliest tar paintings and cardboard reliefs to later, more mathematical works.

If it is not surprising how many mediums Bernar Venet has worked in, from sculpture to painting to photography to sound to furniture, it is surprising how many he has used in performance. From the first moments of "Performance dans les detritus" in 1961 through sound compositions corresponding to and implicating his visual work, to a ballet for which he wrote the music, created the choreography and designed both the set and costumes, Venet has been omnivorous, recording mathematical poems on vinyl, the engines of the Concorde on CD and finally the sounds of the creation of his own sculpture. In 2004, Venet had three simultaneous solo shows in New York City, two at the Robert Miller and Jim Kempner galleries and a third along the Park Avenue Mall, where his large-scale Indeterminate Line pieces were installed. In 2005 he was named Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur, France's highest decoration.