The NGV recently acquired twenty-four sculptures by German-French artist Hans Arp, as part of a donation of over two hundred works from the artist’s estate, Stiftung Arp e.V., to museums worldwide. With this significant gift, the NGV now represents the largest public collection of sculptures by Hans Arp in the Asia-Pacific region.
Born in Strasbourg in north-east France to German-Alsatian parents, Arp co-founded the revolutionary Dada movement in Zurich during the First World War. In 1925, his work was included in the first exhibition of the Surrealists at the Paris Galerie Pierre. His first solo exhibition soon followed in 1927, at the Galerie Surréaliste in Paris.
Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Surrealism encouraged Arp’s exploration of intuitive impulses and his concern with the symbolic – rather than representational – value of forms. In the 1930s, Arp’s abstract sculpture suddenly shifted in orientation towards nature. Arp became a pioneer in what is now known as ‘biomorphic’ or ‘organic’ abstraction, in which landscape and vegetable shapes replace the human figure in sculpture.
The works on display at the NGV span the early 1930s until the artist’s death in 1966, providing significant insight into Arp’s polymorphic sculptures and his intuitive use of plaster, which allowed him to make and remake forms, and experiment with inventive modelling and sculpting techniques.
(Until October – Free Entry)
Scholars Series: Surrealism and the Art of Hans Arp – Fruits of Introversion
Wed 25 Sep, 6.30pm–7.30pm
NGV INTERNATIONAL / Clemenger BBDO Auditorium (enter via main Waterwall entrance)
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($40 A / $36 M / $38 C / $12 Livestream)
In 1924, Andre Breton published his Manifeste du Surréalisme (Surrealist Manifesto), launching the birth of one of the twentieth century’s most significant and well-known, art movements.
Marking the 100-year anniversary of this manifesto, the NGV invites world-renowned Surrealist expert Dr Ken Wach to introduce sculptor and painter Hans Arp (1886-1966), one of the movement’s most prolific and influential artists.
During the First World War, Hans Arp co-founded the Dada movement in Zurich and in 1925 his work was included in the first exhibition of the Surrealists at the Paris Galerie Pierre. His first solo exhibition at the Galerie Surréaliste in Paris followed in 1927. In the 1920s and 1930s Surrealism encouraged Arp’s exploration of intuitive impulses and his concern with the symbolic, rather than representational, value of forms.
This presentation celebrates the twenty-four sculptures by Arp that have been generously gifted to the NGV as part of the largest global donation of the artist’s work to date. With this substantial gift of twenty-one plasters and three bronze works from the artist’s estate, Stiftung Arp e.V, the NGV now houses the most significant holdings of sculptures by Arp in the Asia-Pacific region.
Dr. Ken Wach is the former Principal Research Fellow and Head of the School of Creative Arts, the University of Melbourne
This program will be held in person and live-streamed. When booking, you can choose to purchase an in-person ticket or a virtual ticket to access the livestream.
Scholars Series
Scholars Series is a stream of in-depth presentations by experts in art and art history that uncover the stories behind works from the NGV Collection.
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