Untitled (Baton de Darthea)

André Cadere was a nomadic presence in the European art world of the 1970s. He is best known for his barres de bois rond (round bars of wood) (1970–78)—long poles made of painted wooden cylindrical units, the length of each corre- sponding to its radius. The artist used eight different colors for these segments: black, white, yellow, orange, red, violet, blue, and green. Each bar contains at least three and at most seven colors; this work has four colors across 52 segments. Cadere developed his barres de bois rond as mobile works of art that could be carried in his hand as a staff or positioned in a carefully chosen space. Seeking to question art-world hierarchies, Cadere placed his wooden bars in both art and nonart venues, either with or without permission.