Originally trained as a ceramic artist, Etienne Viard made a decided departure from this practice in the early 1990s, and is now best known for his abstract steel sculptures. Viard begins each sculpture by developing a sketch and creating a maquette. Based on the final, scaled-up sketch, the sculpture is assembled using cut and folded steel sheets and bars, which are finished with a black patina or left with a lightly corroded surface. Recalling water ripples, raindrops, or the gentle curve of a blade of grass, Viard's work is characterized by undulating and supple lines inspired by nature, demonstrating how the toughness of steel can be tamed to express surprising flexibility and buoyancy. With parts that lean and stand delicately on their edges, Viard's unstable configurations seem to hint strongly of an imminent collapse. Yet it is this precarious balance—never upset, consistently maintained—that underpins the force and impact of Viard's arresting sculptures.

Viard was born in 1974. His work has been the subject of solo exhibitions organized by the Galerie Annie Lagier, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue; Galerie Modus, Berlin; Espace Gaillane, Avignon; Galerie Avant Garden, New York; Pipper Gallery, London; and Galerie Berthet Aittouares, Paris; among others. Since 1991, Viard has participated in group exhibitions held at the Place Saint-Sulpice, Paris; Winsor Gallery, Vancouver; Orangerie du Senat, Paris; Galerie BC2, Luxeumbourg; Château de L'Emperie, Salon-de-Provence; Le Grand Théâtre d'Angers, Angers; and others. Viard lives and works in Vaucluse, France.

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