Armand Fernandez aka ARMAN (1928-2005) - Lot 457

Armand Fernandez aka ARMAN (1928-2005) Serious Painting, 1992 Mixed media, including cut-out bicycle, accumulation of brushes and traces of color on black, blue and brown canvas Single print 129 x 195 x 300 cm Provenance : - Given by the artist to his daughter. - Always in the family collection. Bibliography: Referenced by the Arman Foundation as a unique piece from 1992 under number 637. Exhibition : - ARMAN Peintures" exhibition at the Chateau-Musée de Cagnes-sur-Mer from April 2 to 30, 1993. (catalog available). - exhibition "ARMAN Les Cycles de Vie" at the Galerie du Théatre d'Esch, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg from February 5 to 27, 2002. (Catalogue published by Galerie Anne Lettrée, available). Please ask for condition reports before the sale: they are not included in the listings. Expert : 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).