Bernar Venet

Bernar Venet’s practice revolves around the rigorous investigation of form, material, and mathematical principles, producing works that merge conceptual precision with sculptural presence. He is widely recognized for his exploration of lines, arcs, and angles, creating steel sculptures that transform abstract mathematical and geometric ideas into tangible, monumental forms. Venet often manipulates industrial materials, including iron and steel, emphasizing weight, balance, and tension to construct compositions that appear both precise and dynamically unstable. His approach integrates systematic methods with intuitive decision-making, allowing chance, variation, and material behavior to influence the final form. Venet’s paintings and drawings echo his sculptural concerns, translating spatial relationships and numerical sequences onto two-dimensional surfaces, creating a dialogue between planar and three-dimensional expression. Across his oeuvre, Venet investigates the intersection of art, science, and philosophy, questioning perception, measurement, and the nature of visual experience. By foregrounding abstraction as a tool for contemplation, his work invites viewers to engage intellectually and emotionally with the structure, rhythm, and balance of his compositions, positioning art as a space where logic, beauty, and materiality converge. ...