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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Hans Arp & Sophie Taeuber-Arp: Friends, Lovers, Partners

Hans Arp, Homme et femme, c. 1928.

Sept 20, 2024 – Jan 19, 2025
Rue Ravenstein 23, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium

The husband and wife Jean Arp and Sophie Taeuber-Arp were an eclectic match. Jean made his name with Dadaist sculptures, paintings, and collages. Sophie was a jack of all trades—a sculptor, designer, dancer, choreographer, puppeteer. They met in 1915, when Sophie visited an exhibition of Jean’s work at Galerie Tanner, in Zurich. It was, he once reflected, “to be the greatest event of my life.” The ending of their time together was premature: in 1943, Sophie died of carbon monoxide poisoning, due to a leaking gas stove. This exhibition looks at how the two artists influenced each another, and zooms in on the work they made in collaboration. —Elena Clavarino

Photo: Fabien de Cugnac © SABAM Belgium 2024