Exhibitions

Hans Arp (1886 - 1966) is best known as one of the pioneers of modern sculpture: his plaster forms have a place in collections all over the world. Less well known are the wall-reliefs made from wood that occupied a central position within his work and which he continued to make throughout his life.

This exhibition is not a comprehensive retrospective, but rather a selection specially chosen for the galleries of the Henry Moore Institute. The reliefs span a period of 50 years, from 1916 to 1966, the year of Arp’s death. They vary over the decades from the early coloured assemblages of the Dada years, through jokey motifs of lips and moustaches, the all-white constellations of ’forms arranged according to the laws of chance,’ and the late pieces in plain unpainted wood. All make bold graphic statements which stand out compellingly from the white walls of the galleries.

Given the admiration that Arp and Moore shared for each other’s work, it seems appropriate that the Arp Foundation in Germany and France are enabling the Henry Moore Institute to make this exhibition. Though Arp has been the subject of a number of recent exhibitions abroad, this will be a unique chance for a British audience to focus on a particularly appealing aspect of his output.

This exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, with two newly commissioned essays by Walburga Krupp and Gunda Luyken. It will also be complemented by a study display devoted to the British artist Paule Vezelay, who was a life-long friend of Arp.