Rediscovered Jean Arp Sculpture 'Larme de galaxie' Unveiled at Museo Novecento

A forgotten sculpture by Jean Arp, 'Larme de galaxie' (1962), has resurfaced after 60 years in the storage of Florence's civic museums. The duralumin work was donated to the city in 1967 by the artist's widow, Marguerite Arp-Hagenbach, following the devastating flood of November 4, 1966. The donation responded to an appeal by art historian Carlo Ludovico Ragghianti, who launched the International Fund for Florence and envisioned the unrealized Museo Internazionale d'Arte Moderna (MIAC). That project later became the foundation of the Museo Novecento, which opened in 2014. The sculpture was rediscovered by researcher Emanuele Greco after three years of study, including research in Berlin. It was last exhibited in 1965 at Arturo Schwarz's gallery in Milan. The work goes on display November 11 at the Museo Novecento, paired with contemporaneous pieces: Leone Minassian's 'Forma in elevazione' (1963) and Alberto Viani's marble 'Il pastore dell'essere' (1963), located in the courtyard of the Biblioteca delle Oblate. Minassian and Viani had urged the widow to donate. Also opening November 11 is 'Armocromie,' a show dedicated to Alberto Magnelli (1888–1971), presenting 15 works from his legacy, last fully exhibited in 1973 at Palazzo Pitti. The two exhibitions are linked by the friendship between Arp and Magnelli.