Arman & Christofle Accumulation Of Violins

ARMAN (Armand FERNANDEZ, known as ARMAN, 1928-2005) & CHRISTOFLE
Accumulation of violins

Paperweight greetings for the year 1984

France, December 1983

Silver-plated metal
Signed Arman on the obverse
Wishing text and Albert Bouilhet's signature on the reverse
Hints from the house of Christofle

Dimensions:
H 2 × W 10 × D 11 cm


Sculptural silver-plated metal paperweight made by ARMAN for the house of CHRISTOFLE for the 1983 year-end greetings intended to celebrate 1984.

The work adopts a slightly domed circular form whose surface is entirely made up of a dense accumulation of superimposed, interlocking violin silhouettes. The instruments, reduced to their essential outline, are repeated in a rhythmic arrangement that creates a subtle play of shadows and reliefs. Light reflects off the silver surfaces, accentuating the proliferative effect characteristic of the artist's approach.

The reverse side bears Arman's engraved signature. It also features Christofle's traditional bilingual greetings message accompanied by the signature of Albert BOUILHET, then president of the manufacture, as well as the goldsmith's hallmarks.

At the frontier between objet d'art, miniature sculpture and contemporary goldsmith creation, this work illustrates CHRISTOFLE's desire to associate its historic know-how with the great names of international contemporary art.

A major figure of Nouveau Réalisme, ARMAN developed from the late 1950s an artistic vocabulary based on the appropriation and repetition of manufactured objects.
His famous Accumulations quickly became one of the most recognizable signatures of the art of the second half of the twentieth century.

Among the objects he used recurrently, musical instruments occupy a privileged place. Violins, violas, guitars, saxophones and trumpets become autonomous plastic motifs, detached from their original function and transformed into visual signs. The violin is undoubtedly his most emblematic theme, giving rise to some of his most famous works held in international public and private collections.

This creation for CHRISTOFLE elegantly transposes the principle of accumulation into the world of goldsmithing. Far from being a simple promotional object, it bears witness to an ambitious cultural policy led by Albert BOUILHET, who called on several major artists to renew the house's image and create greeting objects that have become sought-after by collectors today.

By its intimate format, the quality of its casting and the graphic strength of its composition, this Accumulation de violons is a remarkable testimony to the dialogue between contemporary art and the decorative arts in 1980s France.

Bibliography:

Fondation A.R.M.A.N., archives of the artist, work registered under no. 902.

Pierre Restany, Arman, Paris, Éditions de la Différence, 2004

François Duret-Robert, Arman, Paris, Éditions de la Différence, 1991.

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