Center Stage: The Laura Pels Collection | Act I: Fine Art

We wish to thank the Arp Foundation for confirming the authenticity of the work, which is registered in the Artist's archives under number CGW 133. The work was originally authenticated in 1987.

Conceived in 1954, cast after 1983.

Provenance:

Kovler Gallery, Chicago (per sticker underneath base)

Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Literature:

Carola Giedion-Welcker, Hans Arp, Stuttgart, 1957, no. 133, p. 112 (the plaster mentioned). 

Iionel Jianou, Jean Arp, Paris, 1973, no. 133, p. 73 (the marble version, illustrated pl. 17). 

Arie Hartog and Kai Fischer, Hans Arp: Sculptures, A Critical Survey, Ostfildern, 2012, no. 133, p. 291 (another cast illustrated)

Lot note:

Fleur de Rêve au Museau perfectly embodies Arp’s aesthetic, as it is able to suggest a sense of life through a pure, abstract shape. With its poetic title, the sculpture, elongated and seductive, is reminiscent of the vegetal world, while channeling the human form as well. This organic quality is not innocent, as the artist himself declared: “I do not give up until enough of my life has flowed into (the sculpture)’s body”. By establishing a parallel between his highly abstract pictorial vocabulary and the natural world, including himself, Arp is aiming to reveal and hint at the inner poetry and mystery surrounding us. The viewer is invited to observe and fall under the spell of sculpture’s undulating lines, as well as admire its subtle yet voluptuous curves and shadowy crevices. It calls for a subsconcious effort to lead our imagination astray, and transcend the mere evocation of a man, or a flower in this case.

Overall: 20 3/4 x 5 inches.

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