Jean Arp

Baron Fernand C. Graindorge, Liège
Micheline Hendrickx, Brussels (acquired from the above)
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1985

Cologne, Galerie Czwiklitzer, Surréalisme international, 1957, no. 2
Düsseldorf, Kunstmuseum, Surrealisten, 1957, no. 2
Essen, Museum Folkwang; Mannheim, Städtische Kunsthalle; Hamburg, Kunstverein & Baden-Baden, Staatliche Kunsthalle, Hans Arp, 1959-60, no. 15
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Arp, 1960, no. 36
Humlebæk, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Graindorge-udstillingen, 1965, no. 9 (as dating from 1928)
Mulhouse, Société Industrielle - Société des Arts de Mulhouse, Jean Arp, 1967
The Hague, Gemeentemuseum, Jean Arp, 1967, no. 60 (as dating from 1928)
Strasbourg, L'Ancienne Douane, Hommage à Jean Arp, 1967, no. 68 (titled Homme-bouteille and as dating from 1928) 

Pierre Guéguen, 'Jean Arp découpeur de l'irréel', in XXe siècle, 1957, illustrated p. 20
Jean Cathelin, Arp, Paris, 1959, no. 37, illustrated
Werner Schmalenbach, 'Hans Arp', in Das Kunstwerk, vol. XIII, January 1960, illustrated p. 8
Louis Fritsch, 'A la recherche de Hans Arp', in Saison d'Alsace, 1963, illustrated p. 427
Bernd Rau & Michel Seuphor, Hans Arp. Die Reliefs, Œuvre-Katalog, Stuttgart, 1981, no. 526, illustrated p. 252

The board is stable. There are three small spots of retouching towards the top of the black shape, four very small spots of retouching towards centre left of the background, and some areas of retouching on the artist's frame, the largest of which is over a repaired crack in the top right, visible under ultra-violet light. Apart from some hairline cracks in the paint between the artist's frame and the board, mainly in the upper right, this work is in good condition. Colours: In comparison to the printed catalogue illustration, the black is slightly deeper, and the background has a stronger blue-grey tonality in the original.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Wood reliefs held a central place in Arp's work throughout his career, from the time of his collaboration with the Dada group in Zurich, to his mature and highly productive period of the 1950s and 1960s. Guided by chance and intuition, the artist created organic, irregular shapes evocative of natural forms and parts of human anatomy. Although he developed a highly abstract pictorial vocabulary, in his reliefs Arp always established a connection between these biomorphic forms and elements of the natural world in such a way as to unveil the mysterious and poetic elements hidden in everyday objects. As he once wrote in a letter to a friend: 'Dada is for nature and against 'art'. Dada is, like nature, 'direct', and seeks to give everything its essential place in nature. Dada is for infinite sense and definite means' (quoted in Herbert Read, Arp, London, 1968, p. 72). The principle of chance that led Arp in the creation of his reliefs shows a great affinity with the philosophy of the Surrealist artists, as does his tendency to depict forms evocative of human body in a humorous, sometimes grotesque manner.