Hans Arp's work is characterized by a remarkable degree of artistic versatility. Throughout his life, he was not only a painter and sculptor, but also a poet. He published his first poems and lyrics at an early age, initially in Alsatian, and later in German and French. Arp was always at the forefront of the avant-garde movements of his time. Before he played a decisive role in shaping European Modernism as co-founder of the Dada movement in Zurich in 1916, he was involved in the second exhibition of the “Blauer Reiter” (Blue Rider) group in Munich in 1912. In the 1920s, he was part of the Surrealist circles in Paris, where he met Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso, Kurt Schwitters, and Guillaume Apollinaire. In 1928, he collaborated with Theo van Doesburg on Sophie Taeuber-Arp's commission to transform the former military building Aubette in Strasbourg into a modern entertainment center. In the 1930s, he joined the French artist groups “Cercle et Carré” and “Abstraction Création,” which were committed to Constructivist art.
Today, Arp is considered one of the leading figures of organic abstract art, for which he found inspiration in nature's growth and transformation. The idea of metamorphosis is a recurring theme in his work. While he primarily created reliefs, collages, and drawings at the beginning of his career, from the 1930s onwards, he increasingly devoted himself to sculpture—the form of expression in which his idea of living, transforming form found its fullest expression. This is also the spirit in which our bronze sculpture “Métamorphose” should be understood. Arp combines a smooth surface with a bold, consistent reduction of form and incredible energy. The sculpture appears to be concentrated on its abstract essence, but, as the title suggests, it inspires a variety of associations—be it a shell, a swan, or a swing. With Hans Arp, the form always remains organic, and nature always plays a central role. His theme is the great harmonious unity of the living and growing, the blossoming abundance of forms and their incessant metamorphosis—aspects that this work from 1935 impressively embodies. [AW]