Lotto 3283 - A217 Impressionismo e arte moderna - venerdì, 26. giugno 2026, 16h30
HANS (JEAN) ARP
(Strasbourg 1886–1966 Basel)
Coupe chimérique. 1947.
Bronze, polished. 1/3. Cast c. 1947.
H 80 cm.
Provenance:
- Mr and Mrs George Henry Warren, New York.
- Auction Christie’s, New York, 11 May 1989, lot 355.
- Galerie Le Point, Monaco.
- Auction Christie’s, New York, 1 July 1999, lot 634.
- Private collection Switzerland, acquired at the above auction and by descent to the present owners.
Exhibited:
- New York 1958, Jean Arp. A retrospective, Museum of Modern Art, 8 October–30 November 1958, no. 86.
Literature:
- Carola Giedion-Welcker: Jean Arp, New York 1957, p. 59, no. 86 (with ill.).
- Stefanie Poley: Hans Arp. Die Formensprache im plastischen Werk, Stuttgart 1978, ill. 31.
Around 1930, Hans Arp began to transfer his biomorphic forms from paintings and reliefs into sculpture. He worked primarily in plaster, as the material can be easily applied and removed, allowing for a flexible process of shaping. These plaster forms served as the basis for his later bronze casts. Until 1943, Arp worked intensively on his sculptural oeuvre, producing several works each year. When Sophie Taeuber-Arp died unexpectedly in a tragic accident in 1943, Arp fell into a deep crisis that led to a multi-year interruption of his sculptural activity. Over the following four years, he processed his grief in works on paper and in poetry. It was not until 1947 that he resumed his sculptural practice with renewed energy.
He returned to the style of the preceding years, remaining faithful to rounded, organic volumes, while further developing his sculptures through a greater conceptual density. He increasingly drew on themes of nature, myth, and transformation, and engaged deeply with organic structures as well as with the idea of allowing art to emerge as something "natural".
The gold-toned bronze "Coupe chimérique", offered in this auction, dates precisely to this pivotal year of 1947. The two-part work consists of a diagonally cut vessel or bowl forming the base, upon which rests an organic yet undefined form. The title’s term "chimérique" refers to the imaginary and hybrid, evoking associations with a mythological composite creature. Characteristic of Arp, the work presents biomorphic forms that do not imitate nature but instead appear as if they have grown autonomously.
The underlying plaster model is now held in the collection of the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The present work is the first of three bronze casts that Arp had made from this model. This version has already been included in several major Arp exhibitions.
He returned to the style of the preceding years, remaining faithful to rounded, organic volumes, while further developing his sculptures through a greater conceptual density. He increasingly drew on themes of nature, myth, and transformation, and engaged deeply with organic structures as well as with the idea of allowing art to emerge as something "natural".
The gold-toned bronze "Coupe chimérique", offered in this auction, dates precisely to this pivotal year of 1947. The two-part work consists of a diagonally cut vessel or bowl forming the base, upon which rests an organic yet undefined form. The title’s term "chimérique" refers to the imaginary and hybrid, evoking associations with a mythological composite creature. Characteristic of Arp, the work presents biomorphic forms that do not imitate nature but instead appear as if they have grown autonomously.
The underlying plaster model is now held in the collection of the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The present work is the first of three bronze casts that Arp had made from this model. This version has already been included in several major Arp exhibitions.
CHF 130 000 / 200 000 | (€ 134 020 / 206 190)
Venduto per CHF 212 500 (incl. premio)