The Catalan sculptor, Julio González (1876-1942),
is acclaimed for being "the father of welded-iron
sculpture". This retrospective looks at the key
stages of his career through nearly 200 works,
which were either bought by the Musée national
d'art moderne or given to the museum from
the artist's daughter, Roberta González.
It opens with jewelry and works of decorative art
that paved the foundations for González's metal
sculptures. The first part of the exhibition also
features his early paintings, drawings and
sculptures, including copper masks that were
his first sculptural experiments in metal.
During the 1920s and 1930s González's style
underwent radical changes and became more
cubist as it was largely influenced by his
collaboration with Picasso.
Yet it is González's sinuous, metaphorical pieces
that are the most inspiring. His sculpture
'The Angel, The Insect, The Dancer' (1935)
is a delightful, inventive work, as is 'The Giraffe'
(1935) and the bronze sculpture 'Woman with
Mirror' (1936-1937), which symbolized an allegory
of hope in the face of the Spanish civil war.

July 4 through October 8, 2007
Place Georges Pompidou
75004 Paris
Tel.+33 (0)1 44 78 14 63