ARMAN | A coups trop tirés

accumulation of bullets in an artist's box Executed in 1961, this work is unique.  This work is recorded in the Arman Studio Archives New York under number APA# 8002.61.001.This work is registered in the archives of Denyse Durand-Ruel under number 2637 and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

Andrew Crispo Gallery, New York
Sydney Janis Gallery, New York
Galerie 1900-2000, Paris
Acquired from the above by the present owners

Vence, Galerie Beaubourg, Château Notre-Dame des Fleurs, Les Nouveaux Réalistes, 26 June-31 October 1997
Vence, Château de Villeneuve, Arman, La traversée des objets, 2000-2001; catalogue, p. 107
Boca Raton, Boca Raton Museum of Art, Arman, through and across objects, 21 November-13 January 2002; catalogue, p. 94, illustrated
Vence, Château Notre-Dame des Fleurs, Galerie Beaubourg, Africarmania, 2002

Denyse Durand-Ruel, Arman, Catalogue raisonné II, Torino, 1998, no. 145, p. 88, illustrated

The work is in very good and original condition, all elements are stable. There are some losses and abrasions to the paint of the black box which are in keeping with the artist's choice of medium. There is a thin layer of dust throughout the work.
"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."

For me, the great shock was Dadaism, and the use of objects directly integrated into the artwork.
Arman Arman opened our eyes on the modern adventure. His career entirely overlaps the trajectory of the contemporary object. His take on the world translates the basic and direct language of the consumer. The content of a waste paper basket, a batch of brand new electrical razors, pieces of a saxophone, a sliced violin, a blasted car, a burnt piano and some colorful tubes glued in polyester seem so evidently beautiful to us now that we cannot imagine going back to their beginnings. However, before becoming an icon of our new culture, Arman was a pioneer of anti-art. Among all the New Realists, Yves Klein aside, Arman was the one who pushed the idea of objectively appropriating post-industrial society artifacts the furthest.