Didier Vermeiren

The work of Didier Vermeiren (b. 1951, Brussels) is a continuing reflection on modern and contemporary sculpture. Monument à Victor Hugo presents two identical plinths, one on top of the other. The title refers to a portrait of the poet, novelist and dramatist, Victor Hugo (b. 1802, Besançon – d. 1885, Paris), sculpted by Auguste Rodin (b. 1840, Paris – d. 1917, Meudon) in 1890. Vermeiren’s tautological sculpture – a plinth on a plinth – transforms a supporting structure into the focus of the work. By drawing attention to the conditions of sculpture in terms of its construction and function, the artist reactivates the idea of sculpture in its most fundamental elements.