From 1960 onwards, Leblanc extended his two-dimensional experiments into space, using repetition to explore the relationships between elements in three dimensions. Installations at the Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels (1968), and the Venice Biennale (1970) transformed exhibition spaces into environments to be entered rather than simply viewed — works conceived as flexible systems whose elements could be rearranged.

Material was central to this shift. Early torsions in painted and waxed wood gave way, from the early 1960s, to metal — first mounted on traditional pedestals, then increasingly integrated into the work until the torsion stood as a self-supporting form. Around 1960, working with his brother, Leblanc built a machine for twisting metal, giving him precise control over the production process. From the mid-1960s, coloured lacquers gave way to controlled oxidation fixed with wax — a technique that allowed him to stabilise the material while achieving precise visual effects.

From the early 1960s, Leblanc turned to metal, initially creating sculptures with traditional pedestals, where torsions appear suspended in space. Gradually, the pedestal disappears, becoming visually integrated into the structure itself, leaving the torsion as a self-sufficient form, static yet conveying lightness and elegance. Around 1960, in collaboration with his brother, Leblanc developed a machine to twist metal, controlling every stage of production. This process underscores the importance of scientific and technological research in his practice. Light is a determining factor: initially, the sculptures are coated with colored lacquers, while from the mid-1960s he begins to control the oxidation of the metal, fixing it with a wax layer to stabilize the material and achieve the desired visual effect.

Leblanc’s late sculptures mark the culmination of his exploration of abstraction. Their formal language echoes Minimalism, but their radical simplicity opens onto a more timeless, spiritual register. Among the essential forms he identified were parallelism, convergence, and the eddy — not symbols to decode, but universal structures shared by artist and viewer.

“Archetypes are… a common ground between the creator and the viewer, outside of any era, any passing fashion, any trend… I want to restore the ancestral heritage of the archetype in its greatest primitive purity.” — Walter Leblanc

Walter Leblanc’s work was repeatedly commissioned for public space, such as for the entrance of the Botanic Tower (Brussels, 1964) and for the metro station Simonis (Brussels, 1986). For the latter, a set of his ‘Archétypes’ were commissioned. In general, these installations in public space embodied his focus on light, movement, depth and rotation, and elevated his work to a new level. The monochromatic character of these installations draw attention to the structural qualities of his work, emphasising the architecture. As he wrote in 1983 for the exhibition Tecno, “the work of art will not only be incorporated into the airport terminal, the subway, the university campus, banks, or multinational corporations, but it will also become an integral part of people’s private lives as a testament to their well-being”.

To browse all sculptures by Walter Leblanc, go to CATALOGUE RAISONNÉ