American, (1928-2005)

“I specialize very much in… everything,” the French-born American artist Arman told an interviewer in 1968. “I have never been — how do you say it? A dilettante.” Regarded as one of the most prolific and inventive creators of the late 20th century, Arman’s vast artistic output ranges from drawings and prints to monumental public sculpture to his famous “accumulations” of found objects. His work—strongly influenced by Dada, and in turn a strong influence on Pop Art—is in the collections of such institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Tate Gallery in London and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Born in Nice in 1928, Armand Pierre Fernandez showed a precocious talent for painting and drawing as a child. (Inspired by Vincent van Gogh, he signed his early work with his first name only; he retained a printer’s 1958 misspelling of his name for the rest of his career.) The son of an antiques dealer and amateur cellist, the artist absorbed an intense appreciation for music, the art of collecting and the cultivation of discriminating taste from an early age. After studies at the Ecole Nationale des Arts Décoratifs in Nice, Arman decamped to Paris to study art history at the Ecole du Louvre. His work in these early years focused on abstract paintings inspired by the work of Nicolas de Staël. An avid reader, Arman sought inspiration through books and art reviews, as well as during frequent road trips throughout Europe with his artist friends from Nice, Claude Pascale and Yves Klein.

BOOKS AND MONOGRAPHIES

1972
Arman, Paris, Fernand Hazan, collection "Ateliers d'aujourd'hui"
Otto Hahn

1973
Arman, New-York, Harry N. Abrams
French Edition : Pierre Horay, with text by Pierre Restany.
Henry Martin

1982
Arman: Conscious Vandalism / Vandalismo cosciente, Vérone, Edizioni Factotum-Art
Sarenco

1984
Arman, New-York, Abbeville Press
Jan Van der Marck
The Public Sculpture of Arman, New-York, Marisa del Re Gallery
Frederic Ted Castle
Arman, Galerie Beaubourg, reprinted from the journal CiMayse, Paris, no. 170, May-July 1984.
"Accumulations by Arman", Art in America, New-York, vol. 71, no. 11, December 1983.
Frederic Ted Castle

1987
Arman, Paris, La Différence
Bernard LaMarche-Vadel

1988
Arman. 13 peintures / Arthur Rimbaud. Lettres du Voyant, Paris, La différence, collection "Tels qu'en eux-mêmes" (livre publié à l'occasion de l'exposition "Arman. Peintures 87-88", Galerie Beaubourg, Paris, 1988).
Jan Van der Marck

1990
Arman Estampes, Paris, Editions Marval
Jane Otmezguine, Corice Canton Arman and Marc Moreau

1991
Arman, Catalogue raisonné II, Paris, La Différence
Denyse Durand-Ruel

1992
Mémoires accumulés d'Arman, Paris, Belfond
Otto Hahn

1993
Arman, Paris, La Différence, collection "Classiques du XXIème siècle"
Pierre Cabane

1994
Arman, Catalogue raisonné III, Paris, La Différence
Denyse Durand-Ruel

2004
Arman Inclusions, Bordighera, Edizioni Cudemo
Tita Reut

EXHIBITION CATALOGS
1959
Piccolo gioco administrativo del caso, Arman, Pierre Restany, Milan, Galleria Apollinaire

1960
À toute allure, Arman. Allures d'objets, Pierre Restany, Paris, Gallerie Saint-GerMayn

1962
Arman et la logique formelle de l'objet, Arman, Pierre Restany, Los Angeles, Dwan Gallery

1963
Arman, Arman, Alain Jouffroy, Milan, Galleria Schwarz

1964
Introduction à la peinture d'Arman , Arman, Claude Pascal. Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum

1964
Arman, Yves Klein, Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum
Arman and Esthetic Change, Arman, Gene R. Swenson, New-York, Sidney Janis Gallery

1965
Arman, Paul Wember, Krefeld, Museum Haus Lange

1967
Arman: un acte de foi dans la spiritualité de la matière , Arman, Pierre Restany, Paris, Galerie Illeana Sonnabend

1968
Arman, John Ashbery, New York, Sidney Janis Gallery
Arman, Pierre Restany, Milan, Galleria Schwarz

1969
Arman 1960-1965, Grégoire Müller, Paris, Galerie Mathias Fels
Arman. Accumulations Renault, François Mathey, Paris, Union centrale des Arts décoratifs

1970
Arman Accumulations Renault, Karl-Heinz Hering, Zurich, Kunsthaus
Arman piu' pittore che natura, Arman, Pierre Restany, Milan, Galleria dell'Ariete

1972
Objets de luxe et fétiches raisonnables, Arman, Pierre Restany, Milan, Galleria Arte Borgogna
Arman : Les Moments d'Arman, Jacques Putman, Paris, Galerie de l'Œil

1973
Selected Activities, Peter Schjedahl, New-York, John Gibson Gallery
Oggetti di lusso e feticci ragionevoli, Arman, Pierre Restany, Galleria Arte Borgogna
Arman: An Archeologist of the Present, Arman. Jan Van der Marck, New-York, John Gibson Gallery

1974
Le juste poids d'un homme et d'une œuvre, Arman, Pierre Restany, Arles, Salles romanes du Cloître Saint-Trophime
Logician of Form / Magician of Gesture , Arman. Selected Works : 1958-1974, Jan Van der Marck, La Jolla, La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art Arman. Concrete Lyrics, Andrew J. Crispo, New York, Andrew Crispo Gallery
Arman et la logique formelle de l'objet , Arman, L'Œuvre graphique, Pierre Restany, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Galerie Alexandre de La Salle

1975
Arman, Objets armés, 1971-1974, Jacques Lassaigne, Paris, Musée d'Art Moderne de la ville de Paris
Arman. Lyrical Surfaces, Andrew J. Crispo, New York, Andrew Crispo Gallery
Arman's Violin-Service, A Game of Correspondances , Arman, Violin-Service, Pierre Restany, Paris, Galerie Claude Tchou
Arman, Surgeon of the Mass-Productive Civilization, Arman, Yoshiaki Tôno, Nagoya, Galerie Valeur

1978
Arman. Hard & Soft, Jan Van der Marck, New-York, Andrew Crispo Gallery
The Iron Age and its Monuments, Arman. L’Age de fer et ses monuments, Daniel Abadie, Paris, Galerie Beaubourg
Accumulations : Radiant and Wretched, Arman. Accumulations, Shunkichi Baba, Nagoya, Galerie Valeur

1980
Petite histoire du collage et de l’assemblage , Arman. Sélection rétrospective, Otto Hahn, Cluse, Centre d’Art et de Culture de Flaine
Arman, Sélection rétrospective, Pierre Restany, Cluses, Centre d'Art et de Culture de Flaine
Zucche in carroze, Arman, Jan Van der Marck, Portofino, Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna

1981
Arman : uno sguardo sempre nuovo sul mondo , Arman. Opere del 1979, Pierre Restany, Rome, Le Point Art Studio

1982
Fünfundszwanzig Jahre als Erfolg / Vingt-cinq ans de bonheur , Arman, Parade der Objeckte, Retrospektive 1955 bis 1982, Pierre Restany, Hanovre, Kunstmuseum Hannover mit Sammlung Sprengel
Arman. Le Traité du violon, Maurice Roche, Paris, Galerie Abel Rambert
Arman , Arman. Carvings and Drawings, Otto Hahn, Dublin, The Salomon Gallery
Arman. Papiers découpés 1982, Ted Castle, Paris, Galerie Beaubourg
Arman Retrospektiv , Arman. Parade der Objekte, Retrospektive 1955 bis 1982, Joachim Büchner et Bernhard Holeczeck, Hanovre, Kunstmuseum Hannover mit Sammlung Sprengel
Arman o l'oggetto come alfabeto , Arman o l'oggetto come alfabeto, Walter Schönenberg, Lugano, Museo Civico di Belli Arti

1984
Vinticinque anni di felicità , in Arman o l'oggetto come alfabeto, Pierre Restany, Lugano, Museo Civico di Belle Arti
L’allure d’Arman , Arman, Daniel Abadie, Knokke le Zoute, Christian Fayt Art Gallery
Arman’s Apocalypse, Arman. The Day After, Sam Hunter, New York, Marisa del Re Gallery
A la recherche du concert perdu , Arman. Recent Sculptures, Michel Butor, Monte Carlo, Galerie Le Point
Arman, scultore del'réalisme sociétal , Arman o l'oggetto come alfabeto, André Verdet, Parme, Palazzetto Eucherio Santivale

1985
Un délire spiralé d'Arman , Arman, André Verdet, Zurich, Schöner Wohnen Haus Galerie
Transformation of Things, Arman, Mashashi Miura, Seoul, Walker Hill Art Center
A la recherche du concert perdu, Arman, Michel Butor, Genève, Galerie Sonia Zannettacci
Le jour après la colère, Arman, François Bazzoli, Toulon, Musée de Toulon
Arman, Claude Fournet, Toulon, Musée de Toulon
Arman Retrospektive, Adolph Hanspeter, Zurich, Galerie Pavillon Werd

1986
Arman’s Gods and Goddesses , Arman. Gods and Goddesses, Henry Geldzahler, New York, Marisa del Re Gallery
Arman: Hard & Soft Ware, Arman. Hard & Soft Ware, Pierre Restany, Paris, Courrèges

1987
Arman. Rythmes et Couleurs, Claude Fournet. Nice, Galerie Ferrero

1988
Opéras – rituels , Arman. Désordres lyriques, Georges Aperghis. Paris, Opéra de Paris, Salle Favard
Désordres lyriques, Arman. Michel Beretti, Paris, Opéra de Paris, Salle Favard
Arman as a Painter: From Guts to Geist, Arman Paintings, Pierre Restany, New-York, Marisa del Re Galler

1989
La seconde parade des objets , Arman Retrospektiv, Pierre Restany, Lunds, Lunds Kunsthall, Malmö, Galleri GKM
Arman. Shooting Colors, Pierre Restany, Paris, Galerie Beaubourg
Le montreur , Arman. Works 1955-1989, Jeffrey Robinson, Londres, The Mayor Gallery
Arman Sculpteur Designer, Jeffrey Robinson, Roanne, Galerie La Taille Douce
Arman. A Retrospective, Manuela Rossi, Seoul, Gana Art Gallery
Deux ans plus tard, Arman. Retrospektiv, Siwert Bergström, Lunds, Lunds Konsthall, Malmö, Galleri GKM

1990
Arman's Dirty Paintings , Arman. Dirty Paintings, Donald Kuspit, New-York, Marisa del Re Gallery
Arman, Monochrome Accumulations 1986-1989, Donald Kuspit, New-York, Vrej Baghoomian Gallery
Arman: au pays de son inspiration, Dora Llipoulou-Rogan, Athènes, Galerie 3
Per Arman : un accumulo di ragioni, Arman, Manuela Rossi, Milan, Galleria Arte Borgogna
Grande Musique et Fortes Allures, Arman, Pierre Restany, Tokyo, Fuji Television Gallery

1991
Arman: A Radical Portrait of Modernity , Arman 1955-1991 : A Retrospective, Pierre Restany, Houston, The Museum of Fine Arts
Arman: Bétons  1970-1974, Catherine Francblin, Paris, Galerie Georges-Philippe Valois
Arman: An Artist of Our Time , Arman 1955-1991: A Retrospective, Allison de Lima Greene, Houston, The Museum of Fine Arts
Painting as Object Art / Oggettistica in pittura, Arman in Italy, Achille Bonito Oliva, Milan, Fondazione Mudima
Arman: a Search for Beauty, Arman in Italy, Henry Martin, Fondazione Mudima

1993
Arman. Cycles, Donald Kuspit. New York, Marisa del Re Gallery
Arman, de l’objet…à la couleur-objet , Arman, Georges Dussaule, Cagnes sur Mer, Château-Musée / Galerie Beaubourg
Association d’image, Arman, André Froumessol, Cagnes sur Mer, Château-Musée / Galerie Beaubourg
Arman, Maxime Longrée, Charleroi, Galerie Pascal Retelet
De la peinture à la fleur, Arman, Michel Santinelli, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Château-Musée / Galerie Beaubourg

1994
La Nuit étoilée et Arman, Arman. La Nuit étoilée, Isabelle Sobelman, Pierre Nahon, Vence, Galerie Beaubourg
L’elenco appunto , La ceramica di Arman, Umberto Eco, Bologne, Palazzo delle esposizioni, Edizioni Maggiore

1995
La ceramica di Arman, Henry Martin, Bologne, Palazzo delle esposizioni, Edizioni Maggiore
Arman, un homo ludens en Grèce, Arman, Manos Stefanidis, Athènes, Galerie 3
La ceramica di Arman , La ceramica di Arman, Flaminio Gualdoni, Bologne, Palazzo delle esposizioni, Edizioni Maggiore

1996
Arman. Interactives, Caroll Janis, New York, Sidney Janis Gallery

1997
Arman: Accumulations in Relation, Patrick Pacheco, Londres, James Mayor Gallery

1998
Arman, Arman. Désordres Lyriques, Bernard LaMarche-Vadel, Paris. Opéra de Paris, Salle Favart
Esthétique du dandy des gadoues , Arman. Désordres Lyriques, Michel Tournier, Paris, Opéra de Paris, Salle Favart

1998
Arman, Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume, Paris, France
Arman, Wilhelm-Hack-Museum, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany
Arman, Culturgest, Lisboa, PORTUGAL
Arman: Variations sur un Lénine, Galerie Patrice Trigano, Paris France
Arman: Concerto pour quatre pianos, Galerie John Gibson, November, 1999, New York United States
Arman: Nec mergitur, Galerie Piltzer, Paris, France
Arman, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv, Israël
Arman, Museu de arte moderna do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Arman, Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (MASP), Sao Paulo SP, Brazil
Arman: Fragmentation of Pianos, Galerie John Gibson, New York United States

2000
Arman, Museo de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico
Arman: Racine carrée de fragments, Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris, France
Arman, National Museum of History, Taipei, CHINA
Arman: Anatomie del Tempo, Reggio Emilia, Italy
Arman: Fragmentations, Galerie Georges-Philippe & Nathalie Vallois, Paris,
Arman: Works on Paper, Ludwig Museum, Koblenz, Germany
Arman: La Traversée des Objets, Chateau Musée de Villeneuve, Vence, France
Arman: Vingt Siècles vus par Arman, Couvent des Cordeliers, Paris, France

2001
Arman, Fundaciò “la Caixa”, Barcelone, Spain
Arman, Zürichsee Auktionen, Erlenbach, Switzerland
Arman, Galerie Belmont, Films, Switzerland
Arman: Superpositions, Guy Pieters Gallery, Knokke-le-Zoute, Belgium
Arman, Sandwich Combos, Malborough Gallery, New York, United States
Arman: En tout cas c’est de l’art, Galleria Dante, Padova, Italy
Arman: La Traversée des Objets, Palazzo delle Zitelle, Venise, Italy
Arman: Vingt Stations de l’Objet, Chantier Naval Opéra, Antibes
Arman: Works on Paper, Vila Zanders Bergisch-Gladbach, Germany
Arman: Through and Across Objects, Boca Raton, Florida, United States
Arman: Des Cycles de la Vie, Galerie Anne Lettree, LUXEMBOURG
Arman, Galeria De Arte Isabel Aninat, Santiago, CHILE
Arman, Die Galerie, Zurich, Switzerland
Arman: Vingt Siécles vus par Arman, Exposition au Chantier Naval Opera, Port Vabanantibes
Arman: Passage a L’Acte, MAMAC, Nice, France, June 14 – October 14, 2001.

2002
Arman: Musique, Kunsthaus Grenchen, Grenchen, Switzerland
Arman: Africarmania, Arman et l’Afrique, Galerie Beaubourg, Vence, France
Arman: Dix Mots Pour, Sonia Zannettachi Gallery, Switzerland
Arman: Œuvre Monumentale, Ville du Lavandou, Le Lavandou, France
Arman: Works on Paper, Villa Haiss Museum, Zell, Germany
Arman: Fragmentations, FIAC Galerie Beaubourg, Paris, France

2003
Arman: A Survey, Marlborough Gallery, New York, United States
Arman: Centomilacenerentole, Dante Vecchiato Galleria d’Arte, Padova,  Italy
Arman: Arman, Museum of Contemporary Art of Teheran, Teheran, IRAN
Arman: Le plein de l’art, Galleria Fonte d’Abisso, Milano, Italy
Collection: Obelisk, 1983, (Towering accumulation of bronze cellos): Inducted into the Sydney
and Walda  Besthoff Sculpture Garden, New Orleans Museum of Art, Louisiana United States

2004
Arman: Peintures, Marlborough Gallery, Madrid, Spain
Arman: Peintures, Marlborough Gallery, MONACO
Arman: Interactives and Serious Paintings, Imago Gallery, Palm Desert, California United States
Collection: Cavalleria Eroica, 1987 Erected by Jing An District People Government,
Shanghai, Taiwan
Arman photographe, Theatre de la Photographie et de L’image, Nice, France
Arman: The Violence and the Number, Historial de la Grande Guerre, Peronne, France
Arman: Superposition, New Art: 38th Int’l Fair for Modern & Contemporary Art,
Cologne, Germany
Arman: Opere Recenti, Centro d’Arte Cultura and Bugno Art Gallery, Venezia, Italy

2005
Arman, Musée des Beaux Arts, Reims, France, May 7 - August 8, 2005.

2006
Les inédits: Collection de Jean Ferrero, La Malmaison, Cannes, France, July 8 - January 28, 2007.
A Tribute to Arman, Marlborough Gallery, New York, United States, Febraury 2 - March 4, 2006.
Arman : No Comment, Galerie Georges-Philippe et Nathalie Vallois, Paris, France, January 20 - February 24, 2006.
 Arman: Subida al Cielo, Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain, Nice, France, June 30 - October 1, 2006.
Hommage à Arman 1928-2005, Galleri GKM, Malmö, Sweden, June 10 -August 26, 2006.
Arman, Yeh Gallery, Seoul, South South Korea, December 16, 2005-January 12, 2006.

2007
Arman. Photographs Friends, French Institute Alliance Française, New York, United-States, April 18 - May 15, 2007.
Arman: Polychromes, Imago Gallery, Palm Desert, California, United States, November 24, 2007 - January 6, 2008.

2008
Arman: The Day After, Helly Nahmad Gallery, New York, United States, November - December 2008.
The Flowers of Evil Still Bloom, Cueto Project Gallery, New York, United States, November 6, 2008 - January 10, 2009.
Arman – Painter, Connaught Brown, London, UK, May 18 – June 19, 2008.
Arman: Polychromes, Guy Pieters Gallery, Knokke-Le-Zoute, Belgium, March 23 - April 21, 2008.
Arman, Palazzo Bricherasio, Turin, Italy, January 25 - February 24, 2008.

2010
Look Again, Marlbouough Gallery, New York, New York, January 13, 2010 – February 13, 2010.
Arman: La Petite Exposition, Vecchiato Art Gallery, Padova, Italy, February 2010
Arman: Retrospective, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France, September 10, 2010 – January 10, 2011.
New Realisms: 1957-1962, Museo National Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, June 15 - October 4, 2010

2011
50 Artists: A Collection, Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul de Vence, France, December 17, 2011 – March 8, 2012.

2012
Piet and Ida Sanders. A Life with Art, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands, June 30 – October 2012.
Le Nouveau Realisme, Luxembourg and Daya, London, UK, June 18 - August 11, 2012.
Sculpted Matter, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York, United States, June 21 - August 17, 2012.
The Small Utopia: Ars Multiplicata, Fondazione Prada, Milan, Italy, July 5 -November 25, 2012.

2013
From Picasso to Koons: The Artist as Jeweler, Bass Museum of Art, Miami, Florida, March 15 – July 21, 2013.
Arman: Cycles, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York, New York, February 28 – April 6 2013.
Arman The Collector: The Artist’s Collection of African American Art, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York, New York, November 11 – January 11, 2014.
On The Road, Musée Labenche, Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, December 6 2013 – March 16, 2014.

2014
Pop Culture: Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton, Florida, United States, January 12, 2014 - April 23, 2014.
Art or Sound, Fondazione Prada, Venice, Italy, June 7 – November 3, 2014.
Arman: Cascades, Galerie Guy Pieters, Saint Paul de Vence, France, June 15, - July 20, 2014.
Zero: Countdown to Tomorrow, 1950s-1960s, Guggenheu Museum, New York, New York, October 10 – January 7, 2015.
Sacha Sosno & Les Ecoles de Nice, Musee Regards de Provence, Marseille, France, September 5 2014 – January 11, 2015.
Helenna Rubentstein: Beauty is Power, The Jewish Museum, New York, New York, October 21, 2014 – March 22, 2015.

2015
Arts and Food, Fondazione La Triennale de Milano, Milan, Italy, April – October 2015.
Magnificent Obsessions: The Artist as Collector, Barbican Gallery, London, UK, February 12 – May 25, 2015.
ARMAN Accumulations 1960-1964, Galerie Templon, Paris, France, February 27 2015 - April 6 2016.