I still use brushes

I still use brushes, 1969
Arman (1928-2005)
(American, born France. 1928-2005) Brushes embedded in plastic, in acrylic box, 80 x 80"
Museum of Modern Art


Classified as painting at the Museum of Modern Art, Arman comments on the tradition of painting. I saw this work for the first time recently and was initially sparked by the dimension and color, not yet realizing that it was not a painting per say but objects (paint brushes) encased in acrylic. The detail was fascinating (see image to the right).

Arman worked with large accumulations of objects, rejecting the tradition of painting and sculpture yet continuing to comment on both through his work. The form of objects embedded in resin became a standard for many his works (About this artist, MoMA) Arman was also an avid collector.