Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp (16 September 1886 – 7 June 1966), better known as Jean Arp in English, was a German-French sculptor, painter, and poet. He was known as a

Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Pari ...

ist and an

abstract art Abstract art uses visual language of shape, form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 1 ...

ist.

Early life

Arp was born in

Straßburg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label= Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

(now Strasbourg), the son of a French mother and a German father, during the period following the Franco-Prussian War when the area was known as Alsace-Lorraine (''Elsass-Lothringen'' in German) after France had ceded it to Germany in 1871. Following the return of Alsace to France at the end of World War I, French law determined that his name become "Jean". Arp would continue referring to himself as "Hans" when he spoke German.

Career

Dada

In 1904, after leaving the École des Arts et Métiers in Straßburg, he went to Paris where he published his poetry for the first time. From 1905 to 1907, he studied at Kunstschule in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

, Germany, and in 1908 went back to Paris, where he attended the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number ...

. Arp was a founder-member of the first modern art alliance in Switzerland Moderne Bund in Lucerne in 1911, participating in their exhibitions from 1911 to 1913.Jean Arp

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of t ...

, New York In 1912 he went to Munich and called on

Wassily Kandinsky Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky (; rus, Василий Васильевич Кандинский, Vasiliy Vasilyevich Kandinskiy, vɐˈsʲilʲɪj vɐˈsʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ kɐnʲˈdʲinskʲɪj; – 13 December 1944) was a Russian painter a ...

, the influential Russian painter and art theorist. Arp was encouraged by him in his researches and exhibited with the

Der Blaue Reiter ''Der Blaue Reiter'' (The Blue Rider) is a designation by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc for their exhibition and publication activities, in which both artists acted as sole editors in the almanac of the same name, first published in mid-May ...

group. Later that year, he took part in a major exhibition in Zürich, along with

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prim ...

Robert Delaunay Robert Delaunay (12 April 1885 – 25 October 1941) was a French artist who, with his wife Sonia Delaunay and others, co-founded the Orphism art movement, noted for its use of strong colours and geometric shapes. His later works were more abstra ...

, and Kandinsky. In Berlin in 1913, he was taken up by

Herwarth Walden Herwarth Walden (actual name Georg Lewin; 16 September 1879, in Berlin – 31 October 1941, in Saratov, Russia) was a German expressionist artist and art expert in many disciplines. He is broadly acknowledged as one of the most important discove ...

, the dealer and magazine editor who was at that time one of the most powerful figures in the European avant-garde. In 1915 he moved to Switzerland to take advantage of Swiss neutrality. Arp later told the story of how, when he was notified to report to the German consulate in Zurich, Hans Richter", quoted in ''Dada XYZ'', 1948; archived in ''the Dada Painters & Poets: Anthology'' (2nd edition, 1981), edited by Robert Motherwell he pretended to be mentally ill in order to avoid being drafted into the German Army: after crossing himself whenever he saw a portrait of

Paul von Hindenburg Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (; abbreviated ; 2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German field marshal and statesman who led the Imperial German Army during World War I and later became President of Germany fr ...

, Arp was given paperwork on which he was told to write his date of birth on the first blank line. Accordingly, he wrote "16/9/87"; he then wrote "16/9/87" on every other line as well, then drew one final line beneath them and, "without worrying too much about accuracy", calculated their sum.Hans Arp
, by

André Breton André Robert Breton (; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first '' Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') ...

, in ''

Anthology of Black Humor The ''Anthology of Black Humor'' (French: ''Anthologie de l'humour noir'') is an anthology of 45 writers edited by André Breton. It was first published in 1940 in Paris by Éditions du Sagittaire and its distribution was immediately banned by the ...

''; originally published 1940 Hans Richter, describing this story, noted that "they he German authoritiesbelieved him." Pagoda Fruit by Jean Arp, Tate Liverpool

Pagoda Fruit by Jean Arp, Tate Liverpool

It was at an exhibition that year where he first met the artist

Sophie Taeuber Sophie Henriette Gertrud Taeuber-Arp (; 19 January 1889 – 13 January 1943) was a Swiss artist, painter, sculptor, textile designer, furniture and interior designer, architect, and dancer. Born in 1889 in Davos, and raised in Trogen, Switzerla ...

who was to become his collaborator in the production of works of art and a significant influence on his artistic style and working method. They married on 20 October 1922. In 1916

Hugo Ball Hugo Ball (; 22 February 1886 – 14 September 1927) was a German author, poet, and essentially the founder of the Dada movement in European art in Zürich in 1916. Among other accomplishments, he was a pioneer in the development of sound poetry. ...

opened the Cabaret Voltaire, which was to become the centre of Dada activities in Zurich for a group that included Arp,

Marcel Janco Marcel Janco (, ; common rendition of the Romanian name Marcel Hermann Iancu ; 24 May 1895 – 21 April 1984) was a Romanian and Israeli visual artist, architect and art theorist. He was the co-inventor of Dadaism and a leading exponent of Const ...

Tristan Tzara Tristan Tzara (; ; born Samuel or Samy Rosenstock, also known as S. Samyro; – 25 December 1963) was a Romanian and French avant-garde poet, essayist and performance artist. Also active as a journalist, playwright, literary and art critic, comp ...

, and others. In 1920, as Hans Arp, along with

Max Ernst Max Ernst (2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German (naturalised American in 1948 and French in 1958) painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealis ...

and the social activist Alfred Grünwald, he set up the Cologne

group. In 1925 his work also appeared in the first exhibition of the

Surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...

group at the Galérie Pierre in Paris.

The
Henri Bergson Henri-Louis Bergson (; 18 October 1859 – 4 January 1941) was a French philosopherHenri Bergson. 2014. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 13 August 2014, from https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/61856/Henri-Bergson Le Roy, ...
Influence

In 1926 Arp moved to the Paris suburb of

Meudon Meudon () is a municipality in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is in the département of Hauts-de-Seine. It is located from the center of Paris. The city is known for many historic monuments and some extraordinary trees. One of t ...

. In 1931 he broke with the Surrealist movement to found

Abstraction-Création Abstraction-Création was a loose association of artists formed in Paris in 1931 to counteract the influence of the Surrealist group led by André Breton. Founders Theo van Doesburg, Auguste Herbin, Jean Hélion and Georges Vantongerloo start ...

, working with the Paris-based group Abstraction-Création and the periodical, ''Transition''. Beginning in the 1930s the artist expanded his efforts from collage and bas-relief to include bronze and stone sculptures. He produced several small works made of multiple elements that the viewer could pick up, separate, and rearrange into new configurations. Pastor de Nubes o Formes de Lutin

Throughout the 1930s and until the end of his life, he wrote and published essays and poetry. In 1942 he fled from his home in

to escape German occupation and lived in

Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Z ...

until the war ended.

Material Success

Arp visited New York City in 1949 for a solo exhibition at the Buchholz Gallery, and this coincided with a general international recognition of his work. In 1950 he was invited to execute a relief for the

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

Graduate Center in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

and would also be commissioned to do a mural at the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

building in Paris. Arthur and Madeleine Lewja, of Galerie Chalette, who had known Arp in Europe, became his gallery representatives in New York in the late 1950s, and were instrumental in establishing his reputation on the American side of the Atlantic. In 1958, a retrospective of Arp's work was held at the

in New York City, followed by an exhibition at the

Musée National d'Art Moderne The Musée National d'Art Moderne (; "National Museum of Modern Art") is the national museum for modern art of France. It is located in Paris and is housed in the Centre Pompidou in the 4th arrondissement of the city. In 2021 it ranked 10th in t ...

, Paris, France, in 1962. In 1972, the Metropolitan Museum of Art showcased Jean Arp's work from the Lejwa's collection and a few works lent by Arp's widow, Marguerite Arp. The exhibition was expanded and traveled as "Arp 1877–1966," first exhibited at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and then shown in seven museums in the United States and six in Australia. Organized by the

Minneapolis Institute of Arts The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is an arts museum located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Home to more than 90,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, Mia is one of the largest art museums in the United State ...

and the Wurttembergischer Kunstverein of Stuttgart, a 150-piece exhibition titled "The Universe of Jean Arp" concluded an international six-city tour at the

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern and contemporary art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, and was ...

in 1986.

Exhibitions

Group

* ''The Spiritual Mission of Art: Artworks by Jean Arp &

Sophie Taeuber-Arp Sophie Henriette Gertrud Taeuber-Arp (; 19 January 1889 – 13 January 1943) was a Swiss artist, painter, sculptor, textile designer, furniture and interior designer, architect, and dancer. Born in 1889 in Davos, and raised in Trogen, Switzerlan ...

'' (1960, Oct – Nov) Galerie Chalette, New York

Solo

* ''Jean Arp, (''1949, Jan18 – Feb 12) Buchholz Gallery, New York * ''Jean Arp: A Retrospective'' (1958, Oct 8 – Nov 30)

MOMA Moma may refer to: People * Moma Clarke (1869–1958), British journalist * Moma Marković (1912–1992), Serbian politician * Momčilo Rajin (born 1954), Serbian art and music critic, theorist and historian, artist and publisher Places ; ...

, New York * ''Jean Arp'' (1965) Galerie Chalette, New York * ''Sculpture, Reliefs, Works on Paper: Jean Arp'' (1965) Galerie Chalette, New York * ''Jean Arp: A Retrospective'' (1962) Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris * Hans Arp's Constellations II (2019

Posthumous

* ''Exhibition of Sculpture in Marble, Bronze & Wood Relief by Jean Arp'' (1980 January 10 - February 16)

Sidney Janis Gallery Sidney may refer to: People * Sidney (surname), English surname * Sidney (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Sidney (footballer, born 1972), full name Sidney da Silva Souza, Brazilian football defensive midfielder * S ...

, New York *''The Nature of Arp (September 15, 2018 - January 6, 2019)

Nasher Sculpture Center Opened in 2003, the Nasher Sculpture Center is a museum in Dallas, Texas, that houses the Patsy and Raymond Nasher collection of modern and contemporary sculpture. It is located on a site adjacent to the Dallas Museum of Art in the Dallas Art ...

'' * ''Hans Arp’s Constellations II'' (2019, Feb 8 – Jul 28)

Harvard Art Museums The Harvard Art Museums are part of Harvard University and comprise three museums: the Fogg Museum (established in 1895), the Busch-Reisinger Museum (established in 1903), and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum (established in 1985), and four research ...

Recognition

Arp's career was distinguished with many awards including the Grand Prize for sculpture at the 1954

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

, a sculpture prizes at the 1964 Pittsburgh International, the 1963 Grand Prix National des Arts, the 1964

Carnegie Prize The Carnegie Prize is an international art prize awarded by the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It currently consists of a $10,000 cash prize accompanied by a gold medal. History The Carnegie Prize was established in 1896, to ...

, the 1965 Goethe Prize from the

University of Hamburg The University of Hamburg (german: link=no, Universität Hamburg, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vo ...

, and then the Order of Merit with a Star of the German Republic.

Personal life and death

Arp and his first wife, the artist

, became French nationals in 1926. In the 1930s they bought a piece of land in

Clamart Clamart () is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. The town is divided into two parts, separated by a forest: ''bas Clamart'', the historical centre, and ''petit Clamart'' with urbani ...

and built a house at the edge of a forest. Influenced by the

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 20 ...

Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...

and

Charlotte Perriand Charlotte Perriand (24 October 1903 – 27 October 1999) was a French architect and designer. Her work aimed to create functional living spaces in the belief that better design helps in creating a better society. In her article "L'Art de Vivre" f ...

, Taeuber designed it.Saskia De Rothschild (14 February 2013)
Glimpses of Jean Arp’s World
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. She died in

in 1943 from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. After living in Zürich, Arp was to make Meudon his primary residence again in 1946. Arp married the collector Marguerite Hagenbach (1902–1994), his long-time companion, in 1959. He died in 1966, in

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (B ...

, Switzerland.

Legacy

There are three Arp foundations in Europe: The Fondation Arp in Clamart preserves the atelier where Arp lived and worked for most of his life; about 2,000 visitors tour the house each year. The Fondazione Marguerite Arp-Hagenbach in

Locarno, Switzerland , neighboring_municipalities= Ascona, Avegno, Cadenazzo, Cugnasco, Gerra (Verzasca), Gambarogno, Gordola, Lavertezzo, Losone, Minusio, Muralto, Orselina, Tegna, Tenero-Contra , twintowns =* Gagra, Georgia * Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic ...

, was founded by Arp's second wife, Marguerite Arp-Hagenbach. A foundation dedicated to Arp, named Stiftung Hans Arp und Sophie Taeuber-Arp e.V., was established in 1977 by the dealer Johannes Wasmuth in consultation with Marguerite Arp-Hagenbach and owns the largest collection of works by Arp and holds the copyright of all his works. It has research centre and office in Berlin, and an office in

Rolandseck Rolandseck is a borough in the town of Remagen in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The place consists almost entirely of villas and is a favorite summer resort. Crowning the vine-clad hills behind it lie the ruins of the castle, a picturesque i ...

, Germany. The

Musée d'art moderne et contemporain of Strasbourg The Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain de Strasbourg (MAMCS, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art) is an art museum in Strasbourg, France, which was founded in 1973 and opened in its own building in November 1998. One of the largest of its ...

houses many of his paintings and sculptures.

Quotes

"Art is a fruit that grows in man like a fruit on a plant or a child in its mother's womb." --Hans (Jean) Arp, c1931

Gallery

Early work, Dada-influenced

File:Hottingen Hans Arp 1915.JPG, A wall-painting of Hans Arp, made in Zürich in 1916 File:Jean Arp, 391, No. 8, Zurich, February 1919.jpg, Jean Arp, reproduced in '' 391'', No. 8, Zurich, February 1919 File:Dada 4-5 Zurich-1919-Collage et bois gravé de Arp en couverture LB.4-0531 mb.jpg, Print for the cover of ''Dada 4'', Hans Arp, 1919 File:L'escalier de l'Aubette en 1928 (musées de Strasbourg) (29056943916).jpg, Stained glass-windows in the Aubette, 1928 File:Shirt Front and Fork.JPG, Hans Arp, 1922, ''Shirt Front and Fork'', wood File:Jean Arp Configuration.jpg, ''Configuration'', 1931, by Has Arp, wood

Mid-century

File:Impish Fruit' by Jean Arp (Hans Arp), Tate Modern.JPG, Hans Arp, 1943, ''Impish Fruit'', wood File:HansArp-CloudShepher1953.JPG, Hans Arp, 1953, '' Cloud-shepherd / Berger de nuages'', bronze File:Schalenboom, Jean Arp, Middelheimmuseum 01.jpg, Hans Arp, 1947-53, ''Tree of Shells'', bronze File:Evocation of a Form Human Lunar Spectral.jpg, Hans Arp, 1950, '' Evocation of a Form: Human, Lunar, Spectral'', bronze File:Marl Arp 01.JPG, Hans Arp, 1959, ''Feuille se reposant'', bronze File:Wolkenschale.jpg, Hans Arp, 1961, Wolkenschale (EN: "Cloud Shell"), stone

Late (and posthumous) work in bronze and stainless steel

File:Arp-museum-2017-40.jpg, Hans Arp, 1962, ''Schlüssel des Stundenschlägers'', bronze File:Tanzgeschmeide.jpg, Hans Arp, c. 1960-1970, ''Moving Dance Jewelry'', bronze File:Jerusalem King George Street sculpture.jpg, Hans Arp, 1972, ''On the Threshold of Jerusalem,'' Stainless Steel, Meir Sherman Garden, Jerusalem File:Mz-SchluesseldesStundenschlaegers.jpg, Hans Arp, 1974, ''Schlüssel des Stundenschlägers'', bronze, Mainz, Germany File:1982-01-Washington National Art Gallery-East Building028-ps.jpg, Hans Arp, 1977, ''Oriform'', stainless steel, Hirshorn Museum, Washington File:Tomb of Hans Jean Arp, Sophie Taeuber-Arp and Marguerite Arp-Hagenbach in Locarno Switzerland.jpg, Memorial to Hans Arp, Sophie Taeuber-Arp and Marguerite Arp-Hagenbach, bronze on granite, Locarno, Switzerland

References

External links

* * *
''Composition''
Jean Arp – Composition according to the law of chance...
Jean Arp, Works in Museo Cantonale d'Arte, LuganoFondation Arp in Clamart, FranceFondazione Marguerite Arp in Locarno, SwitzerlandStiftung Arp in Berlin, GermanyArp Museum in Remagen, Germany
*
42 woodcuts by Arp in “Dada” periodical issues
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arp, Jean 1886 births 1966 deaths Abstract painters Alsatian-German people Académie Julian alumni Dada 20th-century French painters 20th-century German male artists 20th-century French male artists French male painters German sculptors German male sculptors 20th-century German painters German male painters Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Artists from Strasbourg School of Paris German surrealist artists French surrealist artists German surrealist writers French surrealist writers Surrealist poets 20th-century French sculptors French male sculptors 20th-century French poets German-language poets 20th-century German poets German male poets Painters from Alsace 20th-century German male writers French abstract artists German abstract artists Writers from Strasbourg