A portfolio of 10 serigraphs after original works by Sophie Taeuber-Arp are the first works by the artist to enter the museum’s collection.
SOPHIE TAEUBER-ARP
This major acquisition was made possible by the generous support of the Daura Foundation. It adds to our understanding of Cercle et Carré, a group of artists and writers active in Paris in the 1930s, which included Pierre Daura and Taeuber-Arp among others. Her participation in this short-lived but significant group is one of the many highlights of her career. She was also a member of the group Abstraction- Création and the founder and editor of the periodical “Plastique/Plastic.” Taeuber-Arp was born in Switzerland and was a multidisciplinary artist, dancer and performer. She began her training as a textile designer and expanded her interest to paint- ing, sculpting, architecture, furniture making and more. She was married to and somewhat eclipsed by the artist Jean Arp, who acknowl- edged his wife’s talent and her influence on his work. Taeuber-Arp became a key figure of European abstraction, embracing pure com- positions of color, line and geometric forms. Our newly acquired serigraphs, based on works created in the 1930s, illustrate the core of her practice. Forced to exile during World War II, the Arps fled Nazi-occupied Paris for the South of France in 1940. They returned to Zurich in 1942; soon after, Taeuber-Arp died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning due to a malfunctioning stove. The artist has experienced renewed interest in the past years, which will culminate with a retrospective of her life and career presented at the Kunstsmuseum Basel in Switzerland, the Tate Modern in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2021 – 22.
Nelda Damiano Pierre Daura Curator of European Art
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