Wooden Abstract Sculpture by French Artist, Vera Szekely, Circa 1970’s, France

DESCRIPTION: 1978 Wooden Abstract Sculpture by French Artist, Vera Szekely. The Grande sculpture abstraite (1978) is a notable minimalist, nonrepresentational wood installation by the Hungarian-born French artist Vera Székely The piece is crafted out of intersecting softwood slats (lattes de résineux entrecroisées) left in a natural finish. Its structure consists of two prominent vertical wooden posts dynamically intersected at angles by several horizontal and diagonal beams. The sculpture is physically signed and dated by the artist as “Vera Székely 1978”.

CONDITION: Good condition. Wear consistent with age and use.

DIMENSIONS: Height: 121cm (48in) Width: 90cm (35.5in) Depth: 22cm (9in).

ABOUT THE DESIGNER: Vera Székely (née Vera Harsányi, 1919–1994) was a major post-war Hungarian-French multidisciplinary artist. Before making her mark on the history of modern sculpture and decorative arts in France, she had a fascinating early life as an Olympic swimmer for Hungary at the 1936 Berlin Games.  Fleeing the communist regime, she moved to France in 1946 and launched a constantly evolving artistic career that shifted from free abstraction and applied arts to monumental, space-defining installations. Her work has been showcased in major international institutions, including the Centre Pompidou (1982) and the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (1985). Today, Vera Székely is celebrated as an avant-garde figure who masterfully broke down the boundaries between craft, design, and fine art.

ABOUT THE STYLE: Mid-Century Modern (MCM) multidisciplinary art is defined by the total breakdown of artistic boundaries. During the post-war era (from the 1940s to the 1960s), the walls separating fine arts, architecture, industrial design, and textile arts collapsed. Artists no longer confined themselves to a single medium; instead, they viewed art as an all-encompassing environment where form followed function, characterized by organic lines, geometric abstractions, and innovative industrial materials.  Sculpture broke free from traditional pedestals to interact directly with modern architecture, playing heavily with negative space, motion, and weightlessness.