Arman

Arman was born Armand Pierre Fernandez in Nice, France, in 1928. A key figure in the Nouveau Réalisme movement, the French American artist was best known for his groundbreaking ‘Accumulations’ sculptural work in the realm of deconstruction and assemblage of mundane objects. Arman’s art challenged conventional notions of value and waste, transforming the everyday into powerful artistic statements.

Arman’s early interest in art was nurtured by his father, an antique dealer, who exposed him to various artistic styles and materials. He studied at the École Nationale des Arts Décoratifs in Nice and later at the École du Louvre in Paris, where he delved into archaeology and oriental art. His early works in the early 1950s were primarily abstract paintings. During that period, Arman collaborated with Yves Klein. His aesthetic began to shift in the late 1950s when he started to explore the artistic potential of found objects, inspired by the Dada movement.

In 1959, Arman made his first sculptures — his ‘Accumulations’ series which would go on to define his career. These works involved gathering large quantities of identical or similar objects, ranging from spoons and clocks to gas masks and musical instruments, and arranging them in vitrines, resin blocks, or simply piling them up. Through this technique, Arman highlighted the excess and repetition inherent in consumer culture, turning mundane items into thought-provoking art.

Arman’s second sculpture series, ‘Poubelles’, featured waste material in transparent boxes, inviting viewers to reconsider their perceptions of waste and value. These works positioned Arman as a critical observer of consumerism and mass production, themes that would persist throughout his career. Other sculpture series created by Arman in the 1960s included ‘Coupes’ (sawn and sliced objects), ‘Colères’ (broken objects), ‘Combustions’ (burnt object) and ‘Inclusioni’ (group of objects submerged in polyester resin).

In 1960 Arman signed the Nouveau Réalisme (New Realism) Manifesto. The French artistic movement was founded by the critic Pierre Restany in reference to a group of aritsts working with real objects directly in their paintings, collages and assemblages. Along with Arman, other exponents of this movement were César, Christo, Jean Tinguely and Daniel Spoerri.

Throughout his career, Arman maintained a strong connection to both France and the United States. He moved to New York City in the early 1960s, where he continued to develop his unique style and became a prominent figure in the American art scene. His work has been exhibited in major museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.