Art is divine

Born in Strasbourg to a German father and French mother, Jean Arp met the Swiss architect Sophie Taeuber in 1915 in a gallery. Married seven years later, they settled in Montmartre, then Strasbourg before building their house in the heart of the Châtaigniers triangle, in Clamart. In 1929, Sophie Taueber imagined their house-workshop on the edge of the Meudon forest.

At the time, their living spaces were largely dominated by the space they reserved for their creations. Following the tragic death of Sophie, Jean married for the second time the collector Marguerite Hagenbach. With her, he bought the house next door and built a real independent workshop. It was Marguerite who made this place of serenity and unique creation the Arp Foundation.

This artists’ house is one of the rare examples that was able to survive the disappearance of these universally recognized pioneers of 20th century art. Jean Arp participated in the famous pioneering group “Der Blaue Reiter” and was one of the founders of the Dada movement with his wife and accomplice Sophie.

They continued to influence each other by drawing on the work of the Dadaists and the Surrealists, inviting into their homes contemporary artists like Max Ernst, Joan Miro, James Joyce, Paul Eluard and André Breton...