Maja Sacher, Pratteln (a gift from the artist)
Werner Düggelin, Basel (a gift from the above)
A gift from the above to the present owner

Carola Giedion-Welcker, Hans Arp, Stuttgart, 1957, illustration of the stone version pp. 52-53
James Thrall Soby (ed.), Arp, New York, 1958, illustration of the stone version p. 65
Ionel Jianou, Jean Arp, Paris, 1973, no. 23, listed p. 67

The plaster is painted. The sculpture is structurally sound. There appear to be two small areas of surface restoration to the main contact points (where the sculpture has rested on a surface). There is a small surface loss to a third contact point, which could easily be restored. There are some small marks in places, consistent with age and handling. Otherwise, this work is in overall good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Turning from his previous work creating relief sculptures, Arp began sculpting fully three-dimensional figures in the 1930s and, between 1933-36, he created a series called Human Concretions made from plaster, wood or stone. While claiming allegiance to the movements of Concrete Art and Constructivism, the artist adopted a more malleable and humanistic approach to his creations. Describing the philosophy behind the Concretions series, Arp notes: 'Concretion signifies the natural process of condensation, hardening, coagulating, thickening, growing together. Concretion designates the solidification of a mass. Concretion designates curdling, the curdling of earth and the heavenly bodies. Concretion designates solidification, the mass of the stone, the plant, the animal, the man. Concretion is something that has grown. I wanted my work to find its humble place in the woods, the mountains, in nature' (quoted in Arp, Soby (ed.), 1958, pp. 14-15).

In the present work, Arp harnesses the medium of plaster to create a finessed non-figurative form. Arp typically shunned the use of the frame or pedestal in his artworks; Concretion humaine has no predetermined orientation and thus takes on a different life and identity with each alternate positioning. Working with the artist's idea of natural form, this abstract shape at times appears humanistic and at others seems a primordial form. Although asserting its presence in weight and volume, this Human Concretion possesses an almost transcendental quality. Ethereal yet earthy, Arp's sculpted form embodies abstract art at its most evocati⛎ve.