Arman at Museum Tinguely Basel

Currently, the Museum Tinguely in Basel, Switzerland shows a comprehensive survey of the work of the French artist Arman (1928-2005). The exhibition in Basel features seven thematically arranged galleries. They provide a unique overview of Arman’s oeuvre form the early 1950s to his late work in the 1990s, with a special focus on the 1960s and 70s.

In this video, the director of the museum, Roland Wetzel, talks about the concept of the exhibition, Arman’s oeuvre – and the rediscovery of a work from the Poubelles series. This video is an excerpt, the full-length version is available below.

On display are Arman’s major work groups, beginning with the Cachets and Allures d’Objects. Alson on view are key works from the series Coupes, Colères, Combustions, and Inclusions, as well as a selection of Accumulations Renault, and exmples of Arman’s paintings and resin casts using paint tubes.

At the center of the exhibition are his works that are related to the throwaway society, his famous Poubelles and Accumulations, in which he showcases discarded everyday goods and trash in glass and perspex boxes as objets d’art.

“Today, Arman’s works from the 1960s and 70s seem startlingly topical; in particular his Accumulations, his Colères, involving the destruction of an object, and above all the Poubelles can be read as archaeological traces left behind by consumer society – astonishingly presaging how the throwaway lifestyle and the destruction of the planet would later become the most pressing concerns of our day.” (Excerpt from the press release).

The exhibition has been conceived by the Centre Pompidou, Paris in co-operation with the Tinguely Museum (president of Centre Pompidou: Alain Sebain / Director of MNAM/ CCI: Alfred Pacquement / Curator of exhibition: Jean-Michel Bouhours). The exhibition runs until May 15, 2011.

Arman retrospective at Museum Tinguely, Basel / Switzerland. Walk-through and interview with Roland Wetzel (director, Museum Tinguely), March 31, 2011.

> Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download Quicktime video file.

Full-length version (9:42 min.):

Photo set on Flickr:
Arman Museum Tinguely Basel

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