Jean Arp

Galerie Pierre, Paris
Private Collection (acquired from the above in 1962)

Giuseppe Marchiori, Arp, Milan, 1964, p. 30
Herbert Read, The Art of Jean Arp, New York, 1968, no. 175, illustrations of another cast pp. 149, 210
Eduard Trier, Marguerite Arp-Hagenbach and François Arp, Jean Arp, Sculpture, His Last Ten Years, New York, 1968, no. 212, illustration of another cast pp. 112-13
John Hancock and Stefanie Poley, Eds., Arp, 1886-1966 (exhibition catalogue), Cambridge, 1986, no. 252, illustrations of the marble and bronze versions pp. 235, 309
Serge Fauchereau, Arp, Barcelona, 1988, illustration of the marble p. 61
Jean Arp, L'invention de la forme (exhibition catalogue), Paris, 2004, illustrations of the marbles pp. 10, 15

The sculpture is in very good condition. Scattered areas of porosity (minor pitting) that is inherent to the casting process can be seen throughout the surface. Faint swirl marks that are characteristic of the polishing process can also be seen on the surface. A minor scratch (1/4") that appears like the number four can be seen midway down the back of the sculpture. Several very small 1/4" long scratches were observed on the front of the sculpture near the bottom. The sculpture appears newly polished with no fingerprints or tarnish evident on the surface. This report has been kindly provided by Wilson Conservation.
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.

Often guided by chance and intuition, Arp enjoyed creating organic, irregular shapes evocative of natural forms and parts of the human anatomy. Although he developed a highly abstract visual vocabulary, in his sculptures 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 forms. The artist always enjoyed seeing his sculptures in outdoor settings where they could enter into a dialogue with the natural world. This was nowhere more evident than in the garden outside his studio (fig. 2), where a marble version of Demeter served as a focal point.

Although the highly polished form of the present work demonstrates the sleek modernist aesthetic that had been defined by Brancusi and Laurens, its amorphous and irregular shape evidences some of the central theme's of Arp's original manifesto. "All things, and man as well, should be like nature, without measure," he wrote as a young artist, "I wanted to create new appearances, to extract new forms from man" (quoted in Serge Fauchereau, op. cit., p. 15).

Fig. 1 The artist in his studio in Meudon, 1950

Fig. 2 The garden in front of Arp's studio at Meudon, with the marble version of the current work