The Fondation César dedicates itself to preserving, promoting, exhibiting, and interpreting the art and archives of César Baldaccini, a French artist in the 20th century.
Compression Pendants
César wasn’t only a sculptor, he also made jewelry. In 1971, he started to collect old jewelry from his friends and family: pieces of sentimental value and family heirlooms. César compressed the old jewelry, which took on a totemic form and became a symbolic pendant hung on a leather cord or chain.
The pendant also featured a retractable hook, which enabled it to be perceived as not only jewelry but also a stand-alone sculpture.
To commemorate the artist, Celine launched a version of César’s compression pendants. The jewelry exists of a rectangular column made up of small bands of metal that fold in and around each other. The first “directed compressions” were created by the French artist in 1959.