Bernar Venet

b. 1941, France
Lives in New York, USA and France

Bernar Venet is a prominent international artist. Active since the 1960s, his work has been widely exhibited throughout Europe, North America, South America, and Asia. His practice is multi-faceted, though he is perhaps best known for his sculptural work. Featuring bold lines and balanced arcs, Venet's sculptures range in scale from modest domestic objects to immense outdoor installations.

Favouring the use of steel, Venet has created sculptural work of monumental proportions. Comparisons could be drawn to the work of American artist Richard Serra - the two are contemporaries and have similar levels of international profile. Yet, Venet's aesthetic and conceptual framework are distinctly his own. His is a practice of subtlety and nuance, engaged with mathematics and chance. He is equally adept in creating understated wall-based work as he is in his vast public sculptures.

Material investigation has been a central part of Venet's practice. He has created works from diverse materials including coal, asphalt and tar, along with more conventional painting and drawing media. This approach to material is part of the artist's open enquiry into conceptual possibilities in art. Aligned with other prominent artists, such as Jean Tinguely, Donald Judd, and Sol Lewitt, Venet's practice has engaged with minimalist and conceptualist modalities. The breadth, depth and conceptual rigour of his practice has ensured that he remains one of the most accomplished and notable living sculptors.
Venet has received numerous awards and honours for his enduring artistic practice. His work is held in the collections of a broad range of premiere international institutions, including the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; the National Museum of Art, Seoul; and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.

Gow Langsford Gallery has represented Bernar Venet since 2006.

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In Nice stands one of France’s tallest public artworks, 9 lignes obliques (2010). More than 30 meters tall, nine vertical steel beams penetrate the coastal city’s skyline. In Austin, Texas, the right angle of an office building is contrasted by the colossal angular red form of 19.5° Angle (1986). At a sculpture park in New York, the singular Cor-ten beam in Straight Line (2000) rises above the treeline and a steel arc appears to precariously balance on the headquarters of Dongkuk Steel Mill Co. in downtown Seoul, South Korea, in 37.5° Arc (2010). Last year, the Cor-ten form of 85.8° Arc x 16 (2011) flanked the entrance to the Château of Versailles and the Palace grounds housed a solo exhibition of six further sculptures. These works - along with several installations around the world, including Japan, Korea, Germany, Norway and now in New Zealand – demonstrate the prominence of French artist Bernar Venet.