Rythme oval

Sculptor Yves Trudeau enjoyed an especially prolific period in the 1960s, with one year after another heralding new breakthroughs and major successes. Buoyed by this momentum, the artist worked on multiple pieces simultaneously, a sustained effort that culminated in 1967 with his celebrated Phare du cosmos. Trudeau’s more lyrical, figurative approach of the decade’s earlier years gave way gradually to more formal experimentations marked by abstract and symbolist imagery. Reflecting this change is Rythme oval, a bronze that more clearly communicates the artist’s formalist intentions that would continue to surface in his work for years to come. This tour de force is composed of three oblong elements: a main oval with a pierced top into which a second oval sits; the two shapes are inextricably linked (much like a key and a ring). The third, smaller, recessed element, growing out of the main form, unfolds like a bud ready to blossom, an apt metaphor for Trudeau’s production at the time. A Cubist variation inspired by Russian nesting dolls, Rythme oval is an elegant and highly refined piece.