Arman
Statue of Liberty
1998

About the Item

Arman Statue of Liberty features a recurring motif in the artist’s body of work. Throughout his career, Arman has worked with themes and techniques of “accumulations” and “deconstructions"—works of art that he either smashed, sliced, or burned. These objects tended to be musical instruments, sculptural reproductions, and even furniture. He began creating his “deconstructions” in 1959 with his violin brules, instruments that he dissected into their wood panels. The motivation behind his artistic action is to suspend the action of deconstruction and control the final stages of an object’s life span. His object oriented approach harkens back to Marcel Duchamp. Yet, Arman differentiates himself by saying, “As I evolved into object art, I found myself being called a pop artist, but the term isn’t exactly right. Pop artists redo the object. I used the real object. Marcel Duchamp, who is the obvious father of object art, might have taken a soup can and put it on a pedestal. Andy Warhol would repaint the soup can. Jasper Johns would cast it in bronze. I’d take the soup can and cut it into pieces or weld hundreds of them together in order to change the state of the object from what it was when you first saw it in the supermarket. My interest is in exploring the various worlds of the object." This unique view of the Statue of Liberty entices the eye to explore its many layers of diverse perspectives in interpretation. Each piece of the original statue is divided and staggered, retaining its original form despite the image of deconstruction. Sitting atop her head is her famous gold crown. The torch in her right hand is also colored with a brilliant gold sheen. Throughout the colors, one can still discern the intricate folds of her robe and the details of her costume. Her facial features are subtly discernible, encouraging a closer study. This cast bronze sculpture with green oxidized patina is an artist’s proof, numbered from the edition of 20; aside from the numbered edition of 100.

Creator:
Arman (1928 - 2005, French)
Creation Year:
1998
Dimensions:
Height: 30.7 in (77.98 cm)Width: 13.4 in (34.04 cm)Depth: 3.9 in (9.91 cm)
Medium:
Bronze
Movement & Style:
Modern
Period:
1990-1999
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Palo Alto, CA
Reference Number:
Seller: 57051stDibs: LU1567210846662
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Arman

Arman was born in Nice, France, in 1928, and showed a talent for painting and drawing as a child. He studied at the the Ecole Nationale des Art Décoratifs in Nice followed by studies at the École du Louvre in Paris. In his early years he focused on abstract paintings. Then, in 1957, he became interested in common objects as works of art. He first did what came to be called his "allures d"objet" (object impressions), where he would dip an object into paint and press it on canvas thus leaving the object's shadow or impression. Then he decided the object itself was worth paying attention to and started to treat them in his own way. His intention was to remove the material purpose of an object so that its only remaining function was to "feed the mind" as a work of art. What better way to achieve that result than by breaking, slicing or even burning objects such as violins, telephones, typewriters or even whole cars? He also made objects useless by accumulating them, such as 2,000 wristwatches in a Plexiglass box that all kept different time. Once emotionally detached from the circumstances associated with a broken object, the viewer could grow to appreciate its abstract beauty; so, in a sense, Arman was literally teaching that things one never thought could be regarded as attractive could indeed turn out to be so. Through this achievement, Arman gained worldwide recognition and is regarded as one of the most prolific and inventive creators of the late 20th century. His work can be found in the collections of numerous museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Tate Gallery in London and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Arman’s work has also been exhibited in galleries, museums and public spaces worldwide including the Musée D’Art Contemporain in Tehran, Iran; the Museum of Art in Tel Aviv, Israel; the Musée Des Arts Decoratifs and Opéra De Paris in France; the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art in California; and the Museum of Arts and Design and the Guggenheim in New York He died in 2005 in New York.