André Bloc
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André Bloc (
Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
, May 23, 1896 –
New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...
, November 8, 1966) was a French
sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
, magazine editor, and founder of several specialist journals. He founded the "
Groupe Espace Groupe Espace was a French avant-garde artistic movement between 1951 and 1960. The group was founded by architect André Bloc in 1951 and members associated with the journal ''Art d'Aujourd'hui'' 'Art Today'' Their purpose was to create a new env ...
" in 1949. His work is related to that of architects
Auguste Perret Auguste Perret (12 February 1874 – 25 February 1954) was a French architect and a pioneer of the architectural use of reinforced concrete. His major works include the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the first Art Deco building in Paris; the C ...
,
Henri Sauvage Henri Sauvage (May 10, 1873 in Rouen – March 21, 1932 in Paris) was a French architect and designer in the early 20th century. He was one of the most important architects in the French Art Nouveau movement, Art Deco, and the beginning of ar ...
, and Jourdain.


Biography

Born in
Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
, he moved to France in 1898. He studied engineering until 1920, then worked in motor and turbine factories. In 1921 he met
Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , ; ), was a Swiss-French architectural designer, painter, urban planner and writer, who was one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture ...
who became influential in his career. After this meeting, Bloc moved towards architecture. In 1922 he became the general secretary of the journal ''Science et Industrie''. One year later, in 1923, he became the general secretary of the journal "Revue de l'ingénieur". In 1924 he founded the journal "Revue général du Caoutchouc". In 1930 he founded the renowned journal
L'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui ("The Architecture of Today") is a French architecture magazine associated with the Modernist movement. History Beginning The magazine was founded by André Bloc et Marcel Eugène Cahen in 1930 at the beginning of the recession in Europe. ...
. Bloc ran the publication until 1966. He appointed Pierre Vago as editor-in-chief in 1932. Starting in 1940, Bloc turned towards sculpture. He created his first large sculptures in Paris between 1949 and 1956. From 1949 on, he founded several journals, such as "Art d'Aujourd'hui." These projects were part of his perennial interest in the ''synthèse des arts'', or synthesis of the arts''.'' In 1951, in company with several artists, Bloc formed the group
Espace Espace may refer to: *ESPACE, a complexity class in computational complexity theory *Espace musique, a Canadian radio service *Espace 2, a Swiss radio station *Radio Espace, a French radio station *Espace Group, a French media company *Group Espace ...
. Its goal was to bring the ideals of
constructivism Constructivism may refer to: Art and architecture * Constructivism (art), an early 20th-century artistic movement that extols art as a practice for social purposes * Constructivist architecture, an architectural movement in the Soviet Union in t ...
and
neo-plasticism Neoplasticism or neo-plasticism, originating from the Dutch , is an avant-garde art theory proposed by Piet Mondrian in 1917 and initially employed by the De Stijl art movement. The most notable proponents of this theory were Mondrian and anoth ...
to
urbanism Urbanism is the study of how inhabitants of urban areas, such as towns and cities, interact with the built environment. It is a direct component of disciplines such as urban planning, a profession focusing on the design and management of urban ...
and the social arena. Artists and urbanists such as Jean Dewasne, Etienne Bóthy,
Jean Gorin Albert Jean Gorin (2 December 1899 – 29 March 1981) was a French neoplastic painter and constructive sculptor. He was a disciple of Piet Mondrian, and remained true to the concept of rigid geometricism and use of primary colors, but pushed the ...
, Félix Del Marle, Edgard Pillet,
Victor Vasarely Victor Vasarely (; born Győző Vásárhelyi, ; 9 April 1906 – 15 March 1997) was a Hungarian-French artist, who is widely accepted as a "grandfather" and leader of the Op art movement. His work titled ''Zebra'', created in 1937, i ...
,
Sonia Delaunay Sonia Delaunay (; 14 November 1885 – 5 December 1979) was a French artist born to Jewish parents, who spent most of her working life in Paris. She was born in the Russian Empire, now Ukraine, and was formally trained in Russia and Germany, be ...
, Nicolaas Warb (née Sophie Warburg), Simone Servanes and
Nicolas Schöffer Nicolas Schöffer (; 6 September 1912 — 8 January 1992) was a Hungarian-born French cybernetic artist. Schöffer was born in Kalocsa, Hungary and lived in France from 1936 until his death in Montmartre, Paris in 1992. He built his artwor ...
were members of the group, which considered architecture, painting, sculpture and art in general as a social phenomenon. In 1952 the project and construction of the Bellevue house at
Meudon Meudon () is a French Communes of France, commune located in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region, on the left bank of the Seine. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of P ...
was finished. From then until his death in 1966, Bloc worked primarily as a sculptor and decorator. In 1959 he participated at II. documenta in
Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...
. Bloc completed several sculptures, including pieces in
Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
,
Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionJacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
, and
Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...
. His sculptures demonstrate an organic sculptural form somewhere between architecture and sculpture.


Literary works

* ''L'Architecture d'aujourd'hui'', 1930 * ''Aujourd'hui'', 1955.


Sculptures


Carlson/Bloc Tower

André Bloc sought to combine the disciplines of sculpture and architecture. The 1965 California International Sculpture Symposium's collaborative merging of art and industry echoed his notions. Bloc's dynamic career pushed the theoretical, social, and technological boundaries of design and function, exemplifying the symposium's organizer Kenn Glenn's desire to "challenge the sculptors to expand their creative limits." Bloc, a renowned engineer, artist, and architect, took on the project and spent eight weeks in the summer of 1965 working with structural engineers, architects, and builders to prepare drawings, blueprints, and a miniature maquette of this massive tower. While financial issues delayed the building of Bloc's design for seven years, the Carlson/Bloc Tower finally soared 65 feet above the CSULB campus, establishing a visible emblem of the institution’s student population of 30,000 students while also showcasing Bloc's innovative oeuvre. Bloc once stated that his idea for the tower design came from his studies since towns used to be distinguished by aesthetically beautiful and functional monuments like this. He connected his project to a lengthy historic past of structures, such as the Islamic minaret, whose winding interiors might evoke in man a spiritual journey to enlightenment, by deploying a coiled framework. California State College at Long Beach released a press announcement on December 2, 1971, six years after the symposium, announcing the long-awaited building of the Carlson/Bloc Tower. The tower's construction had been postponed since the 1965 symposia, with an estimated cost of $44,900. Finally, work on the tower could begin courtesy of Louise Carlson's generous donation and extra funding from the LBCSC Foundation. Bloc’s effort for carving out relationships between both people and the organic form continues to shine brightly on the CSULB campus thanks to the magnificent grandeur of the Carlson/Bloc Tower.  "With my work, I seek to unite man with his environment in a warmer, more personal relationship," he once stated. Bloc's tower will continue to unify the CSULB campus for many years to come. The ''Carlson/ Bloc Tower'' (1965-1972) is a public artwork located in the CSULB campus and created by French artist André Bloc. Constructed between the Molecular Science building and the University Student Union, the ''Carlson/ Bloc Tower'' stands as both an historical landmark and an artwork that was included in the 1965 California International Sculpture Symposium (CISS). Designed by André Bloc, the 157-ton, white concrete tower came to fruition in 1965, after a seven-year delay related to the funding for the sculpture. During this period, Bloc collaborated with several professionals, including structural engineers, architects, and contractors to develop plans and a maquette for the sculpture. Due to the immense quantity of concrete needed to execute the sculpture, and with the uncertainty of funding, construction of Bloc’s tower came to a halt, and was the only sculpture, out of the nine created for 1965 sculpture symposium, that was incomplete. Six years later in December 1971, and after generous donations from the Louise Carlson fund and the LBCSC foundation, the California State College at Long Beach (name of CSULB at the time) announced that the ''Carlson/ Bloc Tower'' was to be constructed. In the Spring of 1972, the completion of the ''Carlson/ Bloc Tower'' finally came to realization with a total cost of $44,900. Standing at 65 feet, the architectural sculpture tapers lightly toward the sky, and, at the time in 1972, was capable of being seen from a distance of over fifteen miles. Before creating the ''Carlson/ Bloc Tower'', André Bloc was completing a series of experimental structures known as “sculptures habitacles,” which translates to “habitable” in English. As an artist that merged both sculpture and architecture, Bloc first started experimenting with his habitacles at his home in
Meudon Meudon () is a French Communes of France, commune located in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region, on the left bank of the Seine. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of P ...
, France. After completing ''Habitacle 1'' in 1962, he completed two more on his home grounds. His final habitacle to be realized was his ''Carlson/ Bloc Tower''.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bloc, Andre Bloc Andre Bloc Andre Artists from Algiers 20th-century French architects 20th-century French sculptors 20th-century French male artists French magazine editors French magazine founders Emigrants from French Algeria to France