Bernar Venet: The Colossus with Feet of Steel

While long cold-shouldered by the French intelligentsia, Bernar Venet is familiar to the general public. As we remember, in 2011, the Nice-based artist laid out seven of his steel ribbons in the gardens of the Château de Versailles. But the sculptor (who divides his life between New York and Le Muy, in the Var region) forged himself a name beyond the borders of his native country. Several foreign museums from New York to Hong Kong have dedicated exhibitions to him, and his works are well-regarded by international collectors. Today, France is paying tribute to him in two major exhibitions: one covering his six-decade career at the MAC in Lyon – the most comprehensive retrospective ever staged – and another focusing on his first conceptual years, from 1966 to 1976, at the MAMAC in Nice. An occasion to take stock of his market.   Bernar Venet (b. 1941), "Position of Two Angles of 78° and 41°", 1977, acrylic on canvas, 212 x 210…