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Arman (1928-2005, FR)

Artist Rank (2007): 386 +

Most exhibitions in:
Germany	32

Most exhibitions with:
Name	Rank	№
Christo & Jeanne-Claude	154	26
Jean Tinguely	198	24
Daniel Spoerri	317	24
Niki de Saint Phalle	373	20

Works of art

"Inclusión Chupa-chups", Resina sintética y chupachups. HC 5/5

2000

Galería Dolores de Sierra

"s/ título", técnica mixta s/ lienzo y platex, 100 x 100 cm, s/ data. Prices must be requested directly from the gallery

Galeria António Prates

Biography

Photo: www.gkm.se

17.11.1928
Born in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes (FR)
"The human being depicts her self, shows her time, her anxiety, her screams, her tears and her laughter."
One form of Arman's expression are the cut up or sawn apart objects, that are then assembled together in new ways. Most know and famous are his divided string instruments. The instruments are often made in life size. In its content and form we can perceive greetings back in time to Picasso and Braque. However Arman has taken a step further and casts his works in bronze. At first he deconstructs the object and deprives them their meaning as a playable instrument, he starts a process of decay. But by casting the object in bronze he ceases the process. What is left is a sculpture of music.

Arman–Armand Pierre Fernadez was born in Nice 1928. His father an antique shop owner, something that would live an imprint in his relation to objects. After studies in mathematics and philosophy, Arman continued at an art school, but decided to end his studies due to conservatism within the management. He has also studied archeology and oriental arts.

Arman started to paint seriously in the end of the 40-ies. During the 50-ies he developed his abstract painting in the sprit of its time. But it was as a sculptor that Arman achieved his great artistic brake through. The path to that went trough a from of print where he used regular office rubber stamps. Inspiration was taken from Dada-artist Kurt Schwitters. The stamping technique evolved to become imprint of different objects dipped in paint.

Parallel with his artistic work, Arman developed his skills in judo. His interest for judo brought him together with Yves Klein, a friendship that became significantly important for both of them. Together they carried out several happenings during the 50-ies and came to be two of the for ground figures within the French neo realism, the European counterpart to pop art.

In 1960 Arman had his famous exhibition "Full" at Galerie Iris Clert in Paris. He filled the gallery with trash and garbage. This exhibition should be seen in the light of Yves Kleins exhibition two years earlier, where emptiness was displayed. Two days after Arman's vernissage, the neo realist manifesto was signed in Paris.
During the last years of the 50-ies and the first years of the 60-ies Arman developed different forms of expression, that he consciously continued to investigate. The Accumulations are perhaps the most known. These accumulations are collections of identical or similar objects taken from every day life. The multiple objects are collected in boxes and welded together into heaps or piles.
The sculptures could consist of practical things like tools, pliers or iron boards. They often give an impression of musical repetition. The relation to Marcel Duchamps readymades is clear.

The trash and garbage sculptures that Arman came to cast into transparent poly-chrystal was conserved household waste. These objects of art can resemble great flat ice cubes that have conserved remnants of our civilization.
Arman has also cut up copies of antique bronze sculptures into small slices. These sliced up statues take on a fantastic sense of movement that brings the thought to Giacomo Ballas tripping dog.

Incineration is yet another form of expression where parts of an object like a cupboard, chairs or books are consciously burned up. Big parts of the objects are burned away. These objects are greatly reduced, but one can still perceive the original shape and function. As with the cut up objects Arman takes a further step and cast them into bronze
By multiplying, deconstructing, destroying and transforming object from our everyday life, Arman questions our civilization. In this play with our recognition he makes us stop and look.

22.10.2005
Died in New York City, NY (US)

Public exhibitions 126