Fernandez Arman (1928-2005) Guitars
The founder of the group Nouveau Réalisme, together with Jean Tinguely,
Yves Klein and others, the French artist Pierre Armand Fernandez (better
known as Arman; 1928-2005) developed between 1952 and 1962 his most
recognizable style, beginning with his two renowned concepts:
Accumulations (collections of common and identical objects which he
arranged in polyester casting or within Plexiglas cases) and Poubelles
(collections of strewn refuse).
During his American period, Arman
explored creation via destruction: the Coupes and the Colères featured
sliced, burnt or smashed objects arranged on canvas, often using items
with a strong identity such as music instruments, specifically the
strings and the brass. The burning of objects (Combustions) was the last
stage of the destruction process undertaken by Arman, since Inclusions
are objects plucked into resin or raw cement. Broken, burnt or entrapped
in the rigidity of the various materials, the musical instruments lost
its primary function and became contextualized in a new reality.
