César
César
Bread Head (Self-portrait), 1973
Bread mounted on iron rod, concrete, plaster, Plexiglas box
21.85 H x 10.24 x 11.02 inches
55.5 H x 26 x 28 cm
Unique work
This work is registered in the Archives of Madame Denyse Durand-Ruel as No. 1973
Exhibited:
Galerie Henri Creuzevault, Têtes à Têtes, March-April 1973, Paris
César, Bread Head (Self-portrait), 1973
Throughout his career, Cesar has experimented with materials: metals, plastics, plaster, glass… and bread.
In 1973, César gave a mold of his face to the preeminent Parisian baker, Lionel Poilane. Working directly with César, he baked a number of loaves of bread into the molds. The resulting Bread Heads were presented in the exhibition Têtes a Têtes at Galerie Henri Creuzevault, Paris in March-April of that year. At the opening, César cut and served slices of the Bread Heads to attendees.
The present work is one of the few Bread Heads César preserved. The soft parts of the loaves were removed and consolidated with fiberglass and resin, stabilizing the decay, but preserving the material and form.
