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Somersault

© Estate of Jean Arp / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Germany

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

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© Estate of Jean Arp / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Germany

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

© Estate of Jean Arp / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Germany

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

© Estate of Jean Arp / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Germany

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

Jean (Hans) Arp

French, born Germany, 1886-1966

Somersault, 1942

bronze

Edition: edition of 5

overall: 13 3/4 x 12 1/2 x 9 inches (34.92 x 31.75 x 22.86 cm)

Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Bunshaft, 1964

RCA1964:4.5

More Details

Class

Sculpture (visual work)

Work Type

Cast (sculpture)

This information may change due to ongoing research. Glossary of Terms

During the 1930s, Jean (Hans) Arp began to create freestanding sculptures that were often later paired with abstract sculptural bases made of different materials. It is believed that the donor who gifted this work to the Albright-Knox, not the artist, paired it with Pedestal Column; while they are two distinct sculptures, they are always displayed together. This sculpture title, Somersault, is suggestive of the human body in motion and brings to light Arp’s desire to capture both stationary and moving objects.

Label from Artists in Depth: Arp, Miró, Calder, March 25, 2011–April 15, 2012

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Other Works by This Artist

Surrealism

Non loin du soleil, de la lune et des 'etoiles (Not far from the sun, the moon and the stars)
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Unbreakable Rabbit Drummer (Robert Cornell modification) ,
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La Philosophie et la peinture de Rene Magritte (Volume I)
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Two illustrations for A Primitive like an Orb (poem by Wallace Stevens) ,
Two biomorphic forms sit side by side in the foreground of this abstract, dream-like landscape. The smaller form on the left includes a gray square with red sticks emerging from its left side. Narrow gray stalks support the blue and pink shapes that make up the taller form on the right, which casts a long shadow toward the top left corner of the painting. Nine small circular discs with white sides and blue surfaces appear scattered throughout the scene.
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