The Centre Pompidou presents a retrospective exhibition Arman, one of the leading figures of post-war art. pen open through January 10 2011.
Arman, “The day after pompei’s syndrome”, 1984 © coll. Marianne et Pierre Nahon / photo David Reynolds
120 of his works offer an unparalleled approach and overview of Arman’s work from the second half of the 1950’s to the closing years of the 20th century. A founding member of New Realism, a movement promoting new “ways of approaching the real”, Arman developed a body of work very much of its time, making art from manufactured objects produced by the consumer society. The exhibition is both instructive and lively and shows the two basic sides of Arman’s work: gesture and the objects as vectors of new artistic practices and forms. This presentation hinges on seven themes and offers a chance to discover or rediscover the profound originality of Arman’s work and his vibrant relevance to the present day.
The Centre national d’art et de culture Georges Pompidou was the brainchild of President Georges Pompidou who wanted to create an original cultural institution in the heart of Paris completely focused on modern and contemporary creation, where the visual arts would rub shoulders with theatre, music, cinema, literature and the spoken word. Housed in the centre of Paris in a building designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, whose architecture symbolises the spirit of the 20th century, the Centre Pompidou first opened its doors to the public in 1977. After renovation work from 1997 to December 1999, it opened to the public again on 1 January 2000, with expanded museum space and enhanced reception areas. Since then it has once again become one of the most visited attractions in France. Some 6 million people pass through the Centre Pompidou’s doors each year, a total of over 190 million visitors in its 30 years of existence.
www.centrepompidou.fr