Jean Arp (Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp) was a prominent German-French sculptor, painter,
and poet who became one of the most influential abstract artists of the 20th century.
Artistic Career
Co-founded the Dada movement in Zürich (1916) at Cabaret Voltaire
Established the Cologne Dada group (1920) with Max Ernst
Exhibited with Surrealists in Paris (1925) before founding Abstraction-Création (1931)
Evolved from collage and assemblage to bronze and stone sculptures in the 1930s
Created interactive sculptures with multiple elements that viewers could rearrange.
Recognition
Received the Grand Prize for sculpture at the 1954 Venice Biennale
Major retrospectives at MoMA (1958) and Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris (1962)
Awarded numerous prestigious prizes including the Goethe Prize and Order of Merit with a Star of the German Republic
His work is characterized by organic, biomorphic forms that embrace natural processes.
His artistic philosophy emphasized that art should imitate nature's methods of creation rather than merely its appearance.
