Born in 1920s France, Hiquily and Arman are two pivotal figures in Nouveau Réalisme(New Realism), the postwar movement that redefined sculpture. This exhibition places their representative works side by side, inviting viewers into a sculptural universe rich in humor, rebellion, and fantasy.

Hiquily is renowned for his playful, poetic sensibility. His work was deeply inspired by Pacific and African art, and he often worked with metals such as steel, iron, and copper, using welding and rusting techniques to breathe new life into cold, industrial materials. Hiquily’s sculptures frequently draw from human experiences, transforming heavy metals into forms that are light, harmonious, and strikingly expressive, embodying avant-garde, whimsical, and rebellious qualities. After moving to the United States, he quickly garnered media attention for his mastery of material purity and bold, exaggerated proportions, earning acclaim as a genius capable of making metal speak.

Arman, one of the most internationally influential French artists of the latter 20th century, was recognized during his lifetime in Western art history and received both the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and the French National Order of Merit. Arman approached objects such as musical instruments and classical sculptures through disassembly and accumulation, employing repetition and aggregation to create an aesthetic of “quantity”. His work transforms everyday objects with new forms and meanings, preserving their role as historical witnesses while opening up novel narratives and possibilities, allowing viewers to navigate the space between classical proportion and contemporary thought.

Through the dialogue between Hiquily and Arman, this exhibition fully presents the diverse facets of Nouveau Réalisme. Visitors will experience the uninhibited expressiveness of Hiquily’s organic and sensual forms, witnessing how sculpture can transcend the limitations of material. Simultaneously, Arman’s works demonstrate how deconstruction and reconstruction can breathe contemporary spirit into classical forms. This exhibition is a journey of imagination and creativity, inviting audiences to enter the extraordinary worlds crafted by these two masters of magical sculpture.