« Ludus » Main Divition III

This monumental sculpture depicts a hand fragmented and then reassembled with all its imperfections: what the artist calls a divition. The cuts, nicks and cracks reflect the passage of time and its ravages. Though a modern piece, it has the appearance of a centuries-old archaeological relic, revealing the fragility of matter.
With its symbolic juxtaposition of strength and weakness, this unique work inspires those who see it to think about the future of mankind and the planet, which sits finely balanced on the hand’s index finger. It could perhaps be interpreted as a message that humanity holds the future of the planet in its hands.

The artist created this piece at the Versiliese art foundry in Pietrasanta, Tuscany, and donated it to the Prince Albert II Foundation for a charity auction at the inaugural Monte-Carlo Gala for the Global Ocean in 2017. The unique piece was acquired by Johann Young and loaned back to the Prince Albert II Foundation for display.
Bernard Bezzina is a French artist, painter, and sculptor born in 1956. His exploration of matter and materials saw him develop a particular technique that he calls divition, deconstructing, fragmenting, and shattering structures, before re-assembling them to create a new vision. From divition to amplification, his art takes a selected fragment and imbues it with a whole new power and a life of its own. In his perpetual quest to discover the possibilities and effects of matter, he works with bronze, wood, steel, marble, and paper. His monumental works represent hands, fists, feet, and shoulders, like antique vestiges entombed and battered by time. He exhibits in Italy, France, the United States, and Belgium. He currently divides his time between Toulon on the south coast of France, and Pietrasanta in Tuscany.