Jean Arp

Dominion Gallery, Montreal
John Hallward, Montreal (and sold: Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, November 20, 1968, lot 15)
Acquired at the above sale

Eduard Trier, Marguerite Arp-Hagenbach & François Arp, Jean Arp, Sculpture, His Last Ten Years, New York, 1968, no. 304, illustration of another cast p. 123
Serge Fauchereau, Arp, New York, 1988, no. 128, illustration of another cast p. 97
Arie Hartog & Kai Fischer, Jean Arp, Sculptures, A Critical Survey, Bonn, 2012, no. 304, illustration of another cast p. 373

Work is in excellent condition. Burnished golden brown patina. Surface is clean. A few pindot accretions and pit marks, otherwise fine.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present work, conceived in 1963, dates from one of the most successful periods in Arp's artistic career. More than three decades earlier, Arp became a member of the radical Dada group in Switzerland in 1916. During this time he formulated an artistic philosophy that would challenge most established forms of artistic representation for many years to come. When in 1917 he wrote that he wanted "to find another order, another value for man in nature," he heralded the credo that would continue to govern his sculptures more than forty years later. The amorphous and irregular shape of the present work evidences some of the central themes of Arp's original manifesto. "All things, and man as well, should be like nature, without measure," he wrote as a young man. "I wanted to create new appearances, to extract new forms from man" (quoted in Serge Fauchereau, Hans Arp, Barcelona, 1988, p. 15).
By the time he conceived of the present sculpture in 1963, Arp had found a clear and innovative voice for his artistic inspiration. His work in sculpture from these years met with great critical success, leading him to prominent exhibitions in Paris and New York and a grand prize at the Venice Biennale in 1954. His artistic output around this time ranged from low-relief sculpture to poetry, but it was his work in free-standing figural sculpture that most consumed him. With its vibrant and graceful energy, Torse-vase is a brilliant example from this prolific and successful time for the artist.