Hans Arp
Born 16 September 1887 in Straßburg (or Strasbourg), died 1966.
Sculptor, painter and poet. Visited Paris in 1904 and was deeply impressed
by the modern paintings. Went to Weimar and attended courses at the academy
under Professor Ludwig von Hoffmann from 1905 to 1907. Spent some time at
the Julian Academy of Paris in 1908. After that, he went to Weggis,
Switzerland, where he worked for some years in solitude. Met the painters
W. Gimmi, W. Helbig and Oskar Lüthy with whom he founded the "Moderner
Bund" ("Modern League") in 1911. Was one of the organizers of the first
exhibition of "Der moderne Bund" in Lucerne, showing works by Amiet, Arp,
Friesz, Gauguin, Gimmi, Helbig, Hodler, Lüthy, Matisse, and Picasso.
Visited Kandinsky in Munich in 1911, who requested his (Arp's) collaboration
on the book "Der blaue Reiter" ("The Blue Rider"). Took part in the second
"Blauer Reiter" exhibition in Munich in 1912, and at the second "Moderner
Bund" exhibition in Zurich in 1913. Contributed drawings to the Berlin
periodical "Der Sturm" ("The Storm"). Took part in the "First German Autumn
Saloon" at "Der Sturm" gallery in Berlin in 1913. Met Apollinaire, Arthur
Cravan, Max Jacob, Picasso, and Modigliani in Paris, in 1914, the latter
drawing his portrait.
After the declaration of war, he returned to Switzerland. Exhibited his first
abstract works (rectangular forms), collages, and tapestries, together with
worrks by Otto and Mme. van Rees, at the Tanner Gallery, Zürich, in
November 1915. During this exhibition he met Sophie Taeuber, whom he later
married.
Co-founder of the Zürich DaDa movement in 1916. Illustrated Tristan
Tzara's "25 Poems" and Huelsenbeck's "Fantastic Prayers," the latter with
woodcuts which he called "Studies in Symmetry." In his reminiscenes,
"Dadaland," Arp writes, "I met Tzara and Serner at the 'Odeon' and the
'Café Terasse' in Zürich, where we were writing a cycle of poems
called 'Hyperbole of the Crocodile-Hairdresser and the Walking-Stick.' This
kind of poem was later called 'Automatic Poetry.'" In 1917 he created his
first abstract wooden reliefs. Exhibited at the first Zürich DaDa
exhibition.
In the Zürich DaDa-publications "Cabaret Voltaire," "Dada" (issues 1-3),
and "391" (issue #8), he published illustrations; in "Dada" (issue 4/5) and
"Der Zeltweg" he published illustrations and poems.
In 1919 he travelled to Cologne (Köln), and founded the Cologne DaDa
group with Max Ernst and Johannes Baargeld. Contributed to the publication
"Schammade," and created the "Fatagaga" pictures with Ernst. Short stay in
Berlin, where he met El Lissitzky, Kurt Schwitters and other DaDaists.
Published "Die Wolkenpumpe" ("The Cloud Pump"), a series of poems, and "Der
Vogel Selbdritt" ("The Bird Thrice with Itself"), a collection of poems and
woodcuts. Collective publication of "Dada in Tyrol, Au Grand Air, Der
Sängerkrieg."
In 1922 he married Sophie Taeuber. Collaboration with Kurt Schwitters on the
latter's periodical "Merz" in 1923. Published, with El Lissitzky, "Isms in
Art," in which he defined DaDa: "Dadaism has launched an attack on the fine
arts. It has declared art to be a magic opening of the bowels, administered
an enema to the Venus of Milo, and finally enabled 'Laocoon and Sons' to
ease themselves after a thousand-year struggle with the rattlesnake. Dadaism
has reduced positive and negative to utter nonsense. It has been destructive
in order to achieve indifference." Participated at the first collective exhibition of surrealists at the Pierre
Gallery, Paris, with de Chirico, Ernst, Klee, Man Ray, Masson, Miro, and
Picasso.
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