Artist and Sculptor. Born in Marseille, his studies were at the Marseille academy from 1935 to 1939 and at the Paris academy from 1943 to 1947. He began making sculptures by welding together pieces of scrap metal in 1952 and first made his reputation with solid welded sculptures of insects, various kinds of animals, and nudes. His first exhibition was at the Galerie Lucien Durand, Paris, in 1954. He astonished his followers by showing three crushed cars at a Paris exhibition. It was for these ‘Compressions’ that César became renowned. At least two of his sculptures are seen daily by thousands of Parisians: a large equestrianlike statue, “Centaur — Homage to Picasso,” which stands on Rue du Cherche-Midi along the Left Bank; and ”La Pouce,” a 40-foot-high reproduction of his thumb at La Defense in western Paris. In 1976, he gained still greater renown in an unexpected way, he was commissioned to create the trophy for a new French equivalent of the Oscar film awards, the Cesar. He was married to Rosine and together had one daughter Anna. He died of cancer at the age of 77 in Paris. His own sculpture surmounts his grave. (bio by: Shock)