Jean (Hans) Arp, born in 1887 in Strasbourg, then part of Germany, was one of the leaders of the European avant-garde in the arts during the first half of the 20th century.

Sophie Taueber was born in 1889 and trained in applied arts and dance.

Jean Arp began his artistic training in Strasbourg, Weimar, Germany, and then at the Académie Julian in Paris.

In 1911, he founded Der Moderne Bund ("The Modern Alliance"), an association of artists dedicated to modern art.

In 1912, Arp met Wassily Kandinsky and through him briefly joined the expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter ("The Blue Rider"). He also came into contact with Der Sturm in Berlin and exhibited with them in 1913. Arp returned to Paris in 1914 and became friends with Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso, Sonia and Robert Delaunay, and the writer Max Jacob.

During the First World War, Arp fled to Zurich, where he became one of the founders of the Dada movement in early 1916.

Shortly after his arrival in Zurich, he met the artist Sophie Taeuber, who became his main collaborator and whom he married in 1922.

The two complementary artists worked with non-traditional media and together created non-representational collages (called Duo-Collages) and embroidered pieces.

At this time, Arp also began to create painted wood reliefs - layers of unusual shapes inspired by forms found in nature.

After the war, the couple lived in Germany until 1924, when they moved to the edge of the Meudon forest in 1929, to a studio house designed by Sophie, who wanted to combine everyday functionality with aesthetics.

This exhibition transports us to the house-workshop of Jean Arp and Sophie Taueber-Arp, an artistic breeding ground for these two complementary artists, which will allow them to deepen their research in a new place.

This collaboration was unfortunately interrupted by the death of Sophie Taeuber, who died accidentally at the age of 54 at the home of the Swiss architect Max Bill, of asphyxiation from the fumes of a coal stove, leaving Jean Arp devastated and unable to create for over three years.

We discover here the history and the geometry of this unique place, allowing us to discover all the art forms developed by the couple.

A bit like a small theater, the stage is set for an immersion in this particular universe: a model of the house-studio has even been specially designed for the exhibition.

This 1930s house, designed according to Sophie Taeuber's own plans, is a unique testimony to the couple's artistic work, and offers visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in the intimate world of the tandem.

A place of life and creation, a meeting place where many artists passed through, including Max Ernst, Hans Richter, Nelly and Theo van Doesburg, Kurt Schwitters, Joan Miró, Tristan Tzara and Marcel Duchamp... this house is not only a house, but a testimony of this extraordinary duo that was the Arp couple.

The exhibition presents numerous works, revealing a significant part of the heritage of the two artists, in a very pleasant intimate setting.

You will discover a presentation of the Arp Foundation, a synthesis on each of the artists and in particular the history of the Aubette, a building in Strasbourg, a monumental décor designed by the two artists in collaboration with the artist and architect Theo Van Doesburg. The project is even nicknamed by some "the Sistine Chapel of modern art" in the words of Sébastien Tardy, head of the Arp Foundation's collections.

A well-designed exhibition that allows us to understand the world of Arp through a series of sculptures, paintings, art objects, archival photographs and furniture

"You can always find the influence of one in the work of the other. It was a perpetual four-handed collaboration, before she died suddenly in 1943," reports Sébastien Tardy.

This free exhibition is visible to all travelers with a boarding pass in Terminal 2E, hall M.

This beautiful exhibition allows - and I am delighted about it - to encourage travelers to visit the Arp Foundation.

I can't say it often enough: go to the museum, you'll only get pleasure from it.

All the information on how to get to the Arp Foundation is mentioned in the details of this video.

I salute this beautiful initiative of these ephemeral museums, whose works come from the greatest Parisian museums and thus offer travelers a unique and exceptional cultural experience.

Elodie Couturier
 

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