Jean Arp

Sidney Janis Gallery, New York

Acquired from the above

Herbert Read, The Art of Jean Arp, New York, 1968, no. 127, illustration of another cast n.p.

Serge Fauchereau, Arp, New York, 1988, illustration of the marble version p. 61

Eduard Trier, Marguerite Arp-Hagenbach & François Arp, Jean Arp, Sculpture, His Last Ten Years, New York, 1968, no. 240, illustration of another cast p. 114

Jean Arp, L'invention de la forme (exhibition catalogue), Brussels, Palais des Beaux-Arts, 2004, illustration of the marble version p. 15

This work is in good condition. Warm brown patina. There are a few minor discolorations in the patina. A few tiny nicks on the top of the base, but no significant scratches or abrasions are visible.
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.
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At the heart of Arp's artistic triumph is the organic beauty of his sculptures, which seems to manifest from a vision unencumbered by any formal constraints. Since his involvement with Dada and Surrealism in the 1920s and 1930s, Arp's sculpture was recognized for its ability to transcend conventional boundaries and extend its interpretation to any given viewer's expectations. Sculpture classique evidences some of the central themes of Arp's original manifesto: "All things, and man as well, should be like nature, without measure... I wanted to create new appearances, to extract new forms from man" (quoted in Serge Fauchereau, Hans Arp, Barcelona, 1988, p. 15). 

Often guided by chance and intuition, Arp enjoyed creating irregular shapes evocative of natural forms and parts of the human anatomy. The curves of Sculpture classique evoke various parts of the female form captured in Arp's amorphous expression of the figure. Although he developed a highly abstract visual vocabulary in his sculptures, Arp always established a connection between these biomorphic shapes and elements of the natural world in such a way as to unveil the mysterious and poetic elements hidden in everyday forms. The artist enjoyed seeing his sculptures in outside settings where they could enter into a dialogue with the natural world. This was nowhere more evident than in the garden outside his studio, where a marble version of Sculpture classique served as a focal point. Conceived in 1960, the present work embodies the transcendent physical beauty that came to be expected of the artist at the height of his career.