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Jean (Hans) Arp (1886-1966) was a French/German artist who was one of the leading avant-garde artists of the first half of the 20^th century. He was one of the founding members of the Dada movement and later was associated with the Surrealists. Arp is known for his biomorphic sculptures and paintings which are in the collections of major museums around the world. I've included a photo of the brooch alongside layered sculptures by Arp that have a similar aesthetic to the brooch; they are shown the catalogue of the landmark 2006 Dada exhibit that traveled to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.  And, just for fun, I've included a joyous photo of Arp from the same catalogue, taken by the Dada artist Hannah Hoch.

This biomorphic brooch/pendant was designed by Arp and produced in the Ein Hod artists’ colony by Johannan Peter from Arp’s design. Why Ein Hod? Arp’s friend and fellow Dadaist Marcel Janco was one of the founders of the Ein-Hod artists’ colony in 1953.

Arp’s jewelry is very rare; the Ein Hod pieces were produced in limited editions of 100 and I’ve not found any other examples of this particular brooch/pendant on the market at the time of its listing. Arp’s jewelry was exhibited in the seminal “International Exhibition of Modern Jewellery 1890-1961” at The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in London.

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