In 1924, Andre Breton published his Manifeste du Surréalisme (Surrealist Manifesto), launching the birth of one of the most significant art movements.
Marking the 100-year anniversary of this manifesto, the NGV invites world-renowned Surrealist expert Dr Ken Wach to introduce sculptor and painter Hans Arp, one of the movement’s most influential artists.
During WWI, Hans Arp co-founded the Dada movement in Zurich and in 1925 his work was included in the first exhibition of the Surrealists at the Paris Galerie Pierre. His first solo exhibition at the Galerie Surréaliste in Paris followed in 1927. In the 1920s and 1930s Surrealism encouraged Arp’s exploration of intuitive impulses and his concern with the symbolic, rather than representational, value of forms.
This presentation celebrates the 24 sculptures by Arp that have been generously gifted to the NGV as part of the largest global donation of the artist’s work to date.