Partners in art and love: the multi-talented Arps at the Bozar

How times change: two decades ago, only Hans (Jean) Arp was given space at the Bozar; now, at the same location, there is a large exhibition that includes an equal amount of work by his wife Sophie. The show rightly gives them equal footing: the Arps worked closely together as a close-knit team.

Sophie Taeuber-Arp was a ‘self-confident woman who succeeded in vanquishing grandstanding by her peers in art,’ says Zoë Gray, head of exhibitions at Bozar. So how come the name ‘Arp’ is usually only associated with her husband Hans or Jean Arp, who used both first names?

‘Sophie was indeed very well known during her lifetime. She exhibited, sold many works. After her untimely death in 1943, her husband also made every effort to keep her in the limelight,’ says Gray. In 1953, there was an art exhibition in the smaller rooms of the Palace of Fine Arts in Brussels showcasing the work of both artists.

However, in later years Sophie's name disappeared from the limelight. That is until recently. In recent years, several exhibitions have been dedicated to her. And now at Bozar, the art of both partners is woven into every room.

Parents of Dadaism

Hans Arp, a German, met Switzerland’s Sophie Taeuber in the Swiss town of Zürich in 1915.  There at the theatrical Cabaret Voltaire that became the art discipline’s headquarters they co-founded Dadaism. Dadaism was an early 20th century nihilistic art movement based on the principles of irrationality, incongruity and irreverence towards accepted aesthetic criteria

‘Higher’ or ‘lower’ art, applied or not, using a brush or the embroidery needle, for the creative minds of Hans and Sophie it did not matter. On show at Bozar are drawings, paintings and sculptures, as well as carpets and cushion covers, embroidered with geometric fields of colour. Bags and jewellery with beads, crazy puppets, paper collages, reliefs in wood. This was imagination in power in everyday materials.

See how Sophie Taeuber-Arp's 1918 puppets come to life:

Working together in symbiosis

Both partners influenced each other. Hans with his organic shapes like eggs or a navel; Sophie with more geometric elements, circles and squares.

The collaboration sometimes became a symbiosis, with ‘duo drawings’ and wooden sculptures they both worked on, four-handed as it were. It is no longer possible to tell who did what. A sculpture entitled ‘Marital sculpture’: it exudes love.

Beyond death

The close collaboration of this artistic couple came to an abrupt end in 1943, when Sophie died of CO poisoning, due to a malfunctioning stove. Hans/Jean went through a deep crisis. A highly spiritual man, he sought connection with his wife even beyond the grave.

Hans Arp almost continued Sophie's work. He glued snippets of her work onto canvases and painted dolls around them. Or he made reliefs using her sketches.

Besides being a visual artist, Arp was also a poet. After Sophie's death, he wrote moving love poetry. You can get a taste of this from the exhibition's visitor's guide.

A warm welcome to Brussels 100 years ago

Hans Arp enjoyed a good relationship with Brussels. He exhibited here in galleries from as early as 1928. It brought him commercial success and also international recognition. ‘Some of the works sold at this time have now returned to Brussels,’ explains Kurt De Boodt of Bozar.

Bozar presents more than 250 works by the Arps, often from private collections or from major museums like the New York MoMA or the London Tate. A 6-part podcast about the life and work of Sophie Taeuber-Arp has also been produced.

Spotting figures in the forms

Arp art is nimble, playful and witty. A bronze sculpture with round shapes is called ‘Head with Three Obnoxious Objects’. And it is tempting to see all kinds of crazy figures in the abstract shapes: moustaches, jellyfish, a bird or a fork. Be sure to bring your (grand)children, nephews and nieces to the exhibition.