ARMAN (1928-2005) - Lot 4

ARMAN (1928-2005) Le secret de la beauté II, 1994 Bronze proof with dark brown patina and gold edging, signed on the front of the terrace, justified 376/1000, dated and stamped Barelier on the back. H_ 35 cm W_ 12 cm D_ 9 cm With certificate of authenticity signed by the artist and including the justification and original box. ARMAN (born Armand Fernandez, 1928-2005) is a Franco-American artist considered one of the leading exponents of New Realism and European Pop Art. Born in Nice, France, in 1928, he studied drawing and painting at the École des Arts Décoratifs de Nice before turning to more conceptual practices. In the 1950s, Arman explored object recycling and salvaged sculpture, inaugurating his famous "Accumulations" series, in which he collects, sorts or stacks everyday objects (utensils, instruments, toys) to question consumer society, time and the memory of objects. He also developed the "Poubelle" technique, creating works from objects found in the streets, and the "Coups de couteau", paintings in which he pierces or cuts the pictorial material. In 1960, Arman co-founded the Nouveau Réalisme movement alongside Yves Klein, César and Jean Tinguely, with the aim of reintegrating reality into contemporary art and breaking with traditional painting. His work combines conceptual rigor and visual force, exploring notions of repetition, accumulation and materiality. Over the course of his career, Arman received several international awards, including the Grand Prix National des Arts Plastiques (France, 1976), and exhibited in the world's most prestigious museums, including the Centre Pompidou (Paris), MoMA (New York) and the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.