2 Arcs de 212.5 (The Red C), Bernar Venet

Bernar Venet

1987

Rolled steel, painted

The Commons, downtown Columbus

Two massive steel arcs, each bent to a precise 212.5°, seem to balance on edge—stable yet full of tension. Venet’s minimalist language foregrounds mathematics, weight, and spatial perception as the arcs frame changing views of its surroundings.

Purchased by Xenia S. and J. Irwin Miller and first installed at Miller House and Garden; relocated downtown in 1998. Initially allowed to patina; later finished in red paint. This piece is sometimes referred to locally as “The Red C”

Bernar Venet (b. 1941, France) is a conceptual sculptor known for mathematically driven steel forms and experiments with unconventional materials. He describes his method as “self‑generated,” privileging discovery through making. He received France’s Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur in 2005.