Le guerrier, la femme et l’enfant

Bronze,1960 - (25x21 cm)

For Clavé, the theme of the warrior is in full swing since 1958. After having invaded paintings and prints, the warriors acquire substance and shape. Alone or in group, on one level or on a chariot, as a sculpture in the round or in bas-relief, during the year 1960 alone, no less than 25 sculptures are representing warriors!

Le guerrier, la femme et l’enfant is the only artwork in which the warrior is standing alongside civilians. Are they his family? In ascending order, a little stem shapes the child, next is the woman represented by a round stem topped by a bolt, and finally is the warrior with his small bell welded to a spring. Let’s pause for a moment on this peculiar warrior: the small bell ensures a stable base, while the spring suggests a swaying movement from which emerges an aggressive stem. Is it a lance? A sword? A phallus? Winking to his own surrealist works, Clavé is twisting again minimalist objects into a striking artwork.

Sculpture
Biennale de Venise 2022
Bronze
Expo Marlborough 2016
Guerrier