César (19211998) came to prominence in the 1960s as part of the Nouveaux Réalistes group, with Arman, Klein, Raysse, Tinguely and others. His works, which mainly comprise striking solid welded sculptures and plastic models, are now part of collections and museums all over the world. This catalogue accompanies a retrospective of his career at the Fondation Cartier pour lart contemporain. It presents about 100 of his most important works, including the compressions, the expansions and the empreintes humaines, as well as his scrap-iron bestiary sculptures, showing how early in his career, César set out to explore the formal and expressive possibilities offered by industrial materials. Including 150 illustrations and a text by Jill Carrick, this catalogue lays bare the profound influence of Césars work on the art of today.