Growth

1938/60

Jean (Hans) Arp
French, born Germany (Alsace), 1886–1966

Jean Arp was a leader in the development of the organic, curving language of biomorphism, which infused Surrealism with forms alluding to growth, fecundity, and the natural world. In the early 1930s, Arp began to translate his abstract style into three-dimensional sculptures, emphasizing the natural processes of metamorphosis in art. The artist often realized his sculptures first in plaster, a medium that responded easily to touch and allowed for the element of chance in the creative process, and later in an edition in different media (often bronze). This sculpture is a unique marble enlargement of Arp’s original plaster. The medium—with its hard, bonelike appearance—emphasizes the human, torsolike forms of Growth.

Status: On View, Gallery 398
Department: Modern Art

Artist: Jean (Hans) Arp
Title: Growth
Place: France (Artist's nationality)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1938–1960
Medium: White marble
Dimensions: 109 × 44.5 × 28 cm (43 × 17 1/2 × 11 in.)
Credit Line: Grant J. Pick Purchase Fund
Reference Number: 1965.357

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