Armand Fernandez, known as ARMAN (1928-2005) - Lot 456

Armand Fernandez, known as ARMAN (1928-2005) Untitled, 1992 Cut-out violin and traces of yellow, orange and blue paint Mixed media One-of-a-kind piece 100 x 55 x 12 cm Provenance : - Given by the artist to his daughter. - Still in the family collection. Bibliography: Referenced by the Arman Foundation as a unique piece under number 3633. Please ask for the condition reports before the sale: they are not included in the files. Appraiser: Cabinet Maréchaux info@cabinetmarechaux.com + 33 1 44 42 90 10 A product of the École de Nice, the artist Arman (1928-2005) is renowned for his works of accumulation and destructuring. Less well known to the general public, however, is that he was a fervent collector: he could maintain as many as 16 collections simultaneously! Arman's meticulous collecting and attention to detail give his work a long-lasting, abundant character. So it's easy to understand his preoccupation with the accumulation of objects in the consumer society he was born into. But his ambiguous relationship with the object also had another side, that of destruction. This is demonstrated by his many Colères, symbols of rebellion against the great French classical tradition. The artist was interested in all the arts, not just sculpture. The three unique works offered for sale reflect the sculptor's poly-artistic tendency. Untitled, 1992 (lot 456), featuring an unstructured violin, celebrates his taste for music, while the accumulation A vos Rangs FIZZ, 1993 (lot 458) (an accumulation of old Siphons service bottles) testifies to his attachment to painting. In these works, the focus is on the tools of the trade - tools without which "high art" would be impossible (musical instruments, paint tubes, brushes) - revealing the behind-the-scenes aspects of the artistic act, too often overlooked or even hidden. This particular approach is reflected in a monumental work entitled Serious Painting from 1992, combining paintbrushes and a deconstructed bicycle (lot 457).