"The Nature of Arp" provides a long-overdue look at the achievements of Jean (Hans) Arp (1886-1966), one of the most important and multifaceted artists of the modern era. As a founder of the international Dada movement during World War I, Arp pioneered the use of chance, spontaneity, and collaboration as artistic processes and subsequently developed a vocabulary of curving, organic forms that was to become the lingua franca for several generations of artists.

Arp’s sculptures, begun in the early 1930s, often have no use for a pedestal, can be turned in different orientations, and seem to pulse with incipient life. In later years, he put his sculptures through complex processes of fragmentation, casting, recasting, and enlarging. Almost alone among artists of his generation, Arp worked at the forefront of abstraction as well as the Dada and Surrealist movements. 

"The Nature of Arp" will present a compelling new look at an artist whose experimental approach to creation, radical rethinking of traditional art forms, and collaborative proclivities resonate with the wide-ranging character of art today. Bringing together more than 80 objects, including sculptures, reliefs, collages, drawings, textiles, and books, "The Nature of Arp" will include works drawn from prominent U.S. and European museums, foundations, and private collections.

Organized by the Nasher Sculpture Center, the exhibition will be accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue including essays by several authors, including Catherine Craft, Nasher Curator and curator of the exhibition. "The Nature of Arp" is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia.