Arman

Arman (November 17, 1928 – October 22, 2005) was a French and American artist. Born Armand Fernandez in Nice, France, Arman was a painter who moved from using objects for the ink or paint traces they leave (cachets, allures d'objet) to using them as the artworks themselves. He is best known for his Accumulations and destruction/recomposition of objects.

Early life and education Arman's father, Antonio Fernandez, an antiques dealer from Nice, was also an amateur artist, photographer, and cellist. From his father, Arman learned oil painting and photography. He also studied judo at a police school in Nice, where he met Yves Klein and Claude Pascal. The trio bonded closely on a subsequent hitch-hiking tour around Europe.

Evolution of work From 1959 to 1962, Arman developed his most recognizable style, beginning with his two most renowned concepts: Accumulations and Poubelles (French for "trash bins"). Accumulations were collections of commonplace and similar objects which he arranged within transparent polyester castings, or within Plexiglas cases. His first welded Accumulations were created in 1962. and bronze, through his collaboration with a foundry in Normandy, France, became a major theme in Arman's work. which is on permanent display at the Château de Montcel in Jouy-en-Josas, France. Completed in 1982, this high sculpture consists of 60 mostly French cars set in of concrete. Just as ambitious was his 1995 work Hope for Peace, which was specially commissioned by the Lebanese government to commemorate 50 years of their military's service. Standing in once war-torn Beirut, the monument consists of 83 tanks and military vehicles.

Selected exhibitions and awards Music accumulation (1971), concrete and iron structure, Parco Sempione, Milan. Photo by Paolo Monti. Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita, Kansas Harvard Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis, Missouri Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York The Museum of Modern Art, New York Allen Art Museum, Oberlin College, Ohio Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, Washington Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton, Florida

Selected press Galenson, David, "Arman and the Art of the Object," Huffington Post, 01/25/11. Johnson, Ken, "Art in Review: Arman-- 'A Survey: 1954-2002'," The New York Times, 01/24/13.