Jean Arp – Composition 1954

Color lithograph.
Arntz 329 c (of c). Signed. One of 125 copies. On heavy vellum. 40.2 x 35 cm (15.8 x 13.7 in). Paper: 50 x 35 cm (19.6 x 13.7 in).

From the portfolio “Ten Years of Galerie d’Art Moderne” featuring lithographic works by various artists, Basel 1955.

Jean Arp, born Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp (1886–1966), was a German-French sculptor, painter, and poet, best known for his contributions to the Dada movement and his abstract art. Born in Strasbourg to a German father and a French mother, Arp’s identity and creative work reflected the cultural fluidity of the Alsace region, which oscillated between French and German control during his lifetime. Following World War I, when Alsace returned to France, he adopted the French name Jean, though he continued to refer to himself as Hans when speaking German.

A pivotal figure in early 20th-century avant-garde art, Arp’s career began with his participation in the Moderne Bund in Switzerland and the Der Blaue Reiter group in Germany. He is widely recognized for his involvement in the founding of Dadaism, a radical artistic and literary movement that emerged in Zurich in response to the chaos of World War I. Working alongside figures like Hugo Ball, Marcel Janco, and Tristan Tzara, Arp produced a range of experimental artworks, including abstract collages, assemblages, and sculptures that challenged conventional forms and meanings.

Arp’s work evolved from Dadaist spontaneity to more refined, biomorphic abstraction, characterized by organic shapes and fluid forms. Throughout his life, he explored various media, including painting, poetry, and sculpture, with a particular focus on creating abstract compositions that celebrated the natural world and embodied a sense of playful harmony.

Jean Arp’s impact on modern art is profound. He co-founded the Abstraction-Création group in the 1930s and his work gained international recognition in the post-war years. Notable exhibitions of his