Joan Sonnabend, Boston
Acquired from the above 

Éduard Trier, Marguerite Arp-Hagenbach & François Arp, Jean Arp. Sculpture. His Last Ten Years, New York, 1968, no. 207, illustration of another cast p. 110

The sculpture displays a reflective polish that is in very good condition. Faint swirls marks in the bronze were noted throughout the surface. Scattered tiny nicks to the surface of the bronze, notably on one of the rounded edges near the pointed tip of the form. Otherwise, fine. 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Alfred Barr once described Jean Arp as a "one-man laboratory for the discovery of new form" (quoted in James Thrall Soby, Arp (exhibition catalogue), Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1958, p. 7). The present work is indeed an extraordinary example of the artist's ability to take inspiration from natural forms around him, whilst always managing to transcend the realm of the tangible. As the title suggests, the wonderfully organic and sensual sculpture is evocative of a flower, its dynamism is derived from the seductive undulations and shadowy crevices, resulting in a stark contrast between the concave and convex forms. 

Arp's most successful sculptures are characterized by their unblemished surfaces and smooth curvilinear forms. From the period of his involvement with Dada and Surrealism in the 1920s and 1930s and until the end of his life, the elegant beauty of Arp's sculpture was increasingly analyzed under the rubric of spirituality. Recognized for his ability to transcend formal boundaries and create works of art that could be interpreted differently depending upon a given viewer's needs and expectations, Arp was labeled by one critic as "a well-rounded mystic." At the heart of Arp's success is t🍎he organic beauty of his sculptures, which seem to manifest from a vision unencumbered by formal constraints.