Research projects

Sophie Taeuber-Arp. Catalogue raisonné

Lead
Tabea Schindler, Franz Müller
Contributors
Franz Müller, Chiara Jaeger, Walburga Krupp, Simona Martinoli, Anna Schrader, Jana Teuscher et al.
Partners
Fondation Arp, Clamart (France); Fondazione Marguerite Arp, Locarno-Solduno (Switzerland); Stiftung Arp e. V., Berlin (Germany); Walburga Krupp
Duration
2025–2029
Series
«Catalogues Raisonnés of Swiss Artists», volume 34

Sophie Taeuber-Arp (Davos, 1889 – Zurich, 1943) has long been recognised by experts as a pioneering figure in modernist art and she has been the subject of wide-ranging publications for some decades, not only in Switzerland but across Europe. She was part of the Zurich Dada movement and played an influential role in the international avant-garde inspired by Constructivism between the two world wars. Taeuber-Arp was active in the applied arts, where her output includes textiles, furniture design, home accessories and theatre puppets. She also worked in architecture and interior design. As a liberal artist she engaged in drawing, painting and sculpture. In addition to making art, she displayed a notable interest in modern dance, writing for periodicals and art education. These fields are all interconnected, not merely in aesthetic terms, and cannot be completely understood without considering Taeuber-Arp’s training and her early work in textile design, especially embroidery. 

The catalogue raisonné will consequently address every field of Sophie Taeuber-Arp’s œuvre, estimated as embracing at least 1200 works, on an equal footing. Among the works are the sculptures, drawings and prints co-created with her husband Hans (Jean) Arp (1886–1966) and her friends Sonia Delaunay-Terk (1885–1979) and Alberto Magnelli (1888–1971). For this project SIK-ISEA is working in partnership with the Fondation Arp in Clamart, the Fondazione Marguerite Arp in Locarno and the Stiftung Arp e. V. in Berlin. These three foundations tasked with managing her estate and Walburga Krupp, an acclaimed specialist in the work of Sophie Taeuber-Arp, have made their abundant archive holdings available and are supporting the team at SIK-ISEA with their expertise. The project aims to produce a catalogue raisonné of the complete works of Taeuber-Arp in English in both printed form and in a freely accessible digital version. Commentary will place all the works in context while supplying details of exhibitions, related literature and provenance.

Fotograf unbekannt, Sophie Taeuber-Arp im Kostüm für die Hauseinweihungsparty des Künstlers Walter Helbig, Ascona, August 1925, Foto: Fondation Arp, Clamart

Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Motif abstrait (Bâteau et drapeau), 1917, Gouache über Bleistift auf Papier, 27 x 18 cm (Blattmass), Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau, Inv. D1759, Depositum der Adrien Turel-Stiftung, 2005, Foto: Jörg Müller, Aarau

Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Komposition mit abstrakten Motiven (Notizbuchumschlag), um 1917–1918, Stickerei mit Glasperlen, Metallperlen und Faden auf Stramin, 13 x 16 cm (Objektmass), Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau, Depositum aus Privatbesitz, Inv. D1865, Foto: Peter Schälchli, Zürich

Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Portrait Jean Arp, 1918, Holz, gedrechselt und bemalt (Ölfarbe), 25 cm (Höhe), Privatbesitz, Foto: SIK-ISEA, Zürich

Sophie Taeuber-Arp, König Hirsch, Deramo, 1918, Marionette aus Holz, gedrechselt, Messing, Brokatstoff, gefüttert, 58,5 x 14 x 10 cm, Zürcher Hochschule der Künste, ZHdK / Museum für Gestaltung, Zürich, Kunstgewerbesammlung, Foto: Umberto Romito & lvan Šuta, Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Kunstgewerbesammlung, ZHdK

Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Ohne Titel, 1924, Wandteppich, Wolle und Baumwolle, 40 x 50 cm, Fondazione Marguerite Arp Hagenbach, Locarno, Inv. FMA 27, Foto: Roberto Pellegrini

Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Plan Aubette No 127, 1928, Gouache und Farbstift auf Papier, 123 x 99 cm (Blattmass), Musée d'art moderne et contemporain, Strasbourg, 2005, Foto: SIK-ISEA, Zürich

Sophie Taeuber-Arp, modulare Möbel, um 1929, Holz, bemalt, und die gemeinsam mit Hans Arp gestaltete Skulptur Jalon, 1938, Holz, gedrechselt und gesägt, 60 x 25 x 36 cm, Fondation Arp, Clamart, Foto: Fondation Arp, Clamart (J.-P. Pichon)

Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Six espaces à quatre petites croix, 1932, Öl auf Leinwand, 65 x 100 cm, Kunstmuseum Bern, Schenkung Marguerite Arp-Hagenbach, Meudon, 1973, Inv. G 2155, Foto: Kunstmuseum Bern

Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Relief rectangulaire, cercles découpés, rondelles sur tiges, 1936, Holz, bemalt (Ölfarbe), 60,5 x 80 x 8 cm (Objektmass), Kunst Museum Winterthur. Beim Stadthaus, Dauerleihgabe aus Privatbesitz, Inv. S.2001.8, 2001, Foto: SIK-ISEA, Zürich (Philipp Hitz)

Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Coquilles et fleurs, 1938 Holz, bemalt (Ölfarbe), 60 x 60 x 7 cm (Objektmass), Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau, Inv. DS1807. Depositum: Gottfried Keller-Stiftung, Bern, Foto: Jörg Müller, Aarau

Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Passion de lignes, 1941, Bleistift und Farbstift auf Papier, 42,5 x 31,8 cm (Blattmass), Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau, Depositum aus Privatbesitz, Inv. D1859, Foto: Peter Schälchli, Zürich