Armand Pierre Fernandez, French-born sculptor known internationally as Arman
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October 23, 2005, 3:54 PM EDT
PARIS (AP)-Armand Pierre Fernandez, the French-born sculptor known
internationally as Arman who was a leading figure of the New Realism
movement, has died in New York, his family said Sunday. He was 76.
Arman died Saturday at his home in Manhattan after a battle with
cancer, his daughter, Marion Moreau, said.
Best-known for his large "assemblages" that turned everyday objects
into sculpture, Arman helped found the New Realism movement with
sculptor Yves Klein in the early 1960s.
French President Jacques Chirac mourned the passing of "a tireless
creator," who worked passionately with constant curiosity and
enthusiasm. "This is a very a large figure in contemporary art who has
left us," he said in a statement.
Born in Nice in 1928, Arman studied at Paris' Ecole des Arts Decortifs
and the Ecole du Louvre before moving to the United States in the 60s,
where he eventually obtained dual nationality.
Exhibited at the world's great museums, Arman also created sculpture
out of burned objects, items found in garbage cans and destroyed items,
such as violins and pianos that he cleverly reattached atop pedestals.
His funeral was to be held Thursday in New York, with a ceremony the
same day in Paris