(Australia-NewsWire.Com, November 12, 2012 ) Victoria, Australia - The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park will feature a yearlong exhibit by modernist sculptor Bernar Venet.
Venet, who also has been a painter and designer, was influenced by artists in New York during the 1960s including Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein and Jasper Johns.
“New York was a changing city,” Venet told MLive.com. “It was pretty exciting, and it was immediately rewarding to me.”
Venet has made his mark in the world of sculpture, says Meijer Gardens Vice President Joseph Becherer.
“His works, celebrated for their bold linearity and powerful sense of grace and composition, are celebrated around the globe,” said Becherer, who also is curator of horticulture and sculpture.
Venet’s first sculpture was the minimalist “Pile of Coal” in 1963. He later began working with steel.
His method involves improvisation. Venet does not prepare drawings for his large-scale sculptures but uses his intuition in forming curves of steel.
One of Venet’s works already is at the gardens – “Two Indeterminate Lines” is in the permanent collection. Five other monumental sculptures, eight to 13 feet tall, will be placed on the front lawn.
Meijer Gardens president and CEO David Hooker expressed his gratitude to the Bernar Venet Foundation and Galerie Scheffel for the display.
“The steel sculptures of Bernar Venet grace public plazas and beautiful gardens around the world – including Meijer Gardens,” Hooker said.
And Venet is pleased to be at the gardens.
“It’s such a fantastic place. The park is so beautiful,” Venet said. “It’s very harmonizing.”
Singapore is hosting a solo exhibition for the conceptual artist, and group shows that include his works are in Brooklyn and Bordeaux, France.
“The nature of my work is very easy to appreciate in different cultures. It doesn’t belong to any one culture,” said Venet.
He still remembers the New York of the 1960s, where he met Rauschenberg, Lichtenstein and Johns. “All those people became friends of mine,” Venet said. “I always think there’s a lot of luck in that.”
About Lump.com.au: Lump.com.au (http://www.lump.com.au/) is an online resource for sculpture and design in Australia. Visitors can check out the studio and learn about innovative ideas in contemporary lifestyles. People can also see sculpted works and screens at the Lump website.