Twenty-four sculptures by influential German-French artist Hans Arp (1886-1966), including twenty-one plasters and three bronzes are now on display at NGV International. This inaugural display celebrates the generous gift of works to the NGV by the artist’s estate, Stiftung Arp e.V., in 2023.
From the 1930s, Hans Arp became a pioneer of ‘biomorphic’ abstraction, a revolutionary artistic style which moved away from the human figure and echoed the organic and fluid forms occurring in nature.
Arp’s sculptures can be rotated in various positions and viewed from different angles, creating multiple unique images and perspectives from a single sculptural form. Arp’s biomorphic forms had a major influence on the trajectory of twentieth century visual culture and modern design.
Hans Arp’s plaster sculptures were mostly conceived as models for later production in stone, marble or bronze and are integral to understanding the artist’s work. His intensive use of plaster allowed Arp to make and remake his work, testing experimental modelling and sculpting techniques to produce abstract forms never-before-seen in the medium at the time.
Arp would sometimes fuse separate sculptures, sawing them apart and joining them back together in completely new configurations. Plaster could also be carved away, or added on in liquid form to extend shapes, to create endless hybrids of a single idea.
The important plaster and bronze works on display at NGV International, spanning the early 1930s until the artist’s death in 1966, provide insights into Arp’s polymorphic sculptures and offer local audiences an invaluable glimpse into the creative process of this major figure of abstract art.
Hans Arp’s works are now on display at NGV International. Entry is FREE. For further information, please visit the NGV website: NGV.MELBOURNE
