Hans, or Jean, Arp (1886-1966) is internationally renowned as one of the foremost sculptors and visual artists of the twentieth century. A founder member of the Dada group, he was also associated with Surrealism and with Concrete Art and Minimalism. Such acclaim has overshadowed the fact that he considered himself above all a poet. This book, the first major English-language study of Arp in nearly half a century, is also the first to reveal that Arp’s practices as poet, painter, and sculptor are not only complementary but mutually dependent facets of a coherent aesthetic strategy.
Eric Robertson discusses Arp’s lifelong practice of moving freely between his different expressive forms and his two languages (French and German), and his tendency to alter his earlier works. Examining major works in the light of recent critical and theoretical perspectives, the book addresses key questions relating to Arp’s practices and reappraises his relationship to the avant-garde as well as his standing in art-historical and literary contexts.