Sophie Taeuber-Arp (1889-1943) was an artist but also a dancer,
designer, puppet maker, architect and editor. A true pioneer of
modern art, for Taeuber-Arp, abstraction was never just an idea;
it was her way of life. This 'lived abstraction' plays a large part in
the exhibition as the artworks on show, many together for the first
time, explore how Taueber-Arp's subversive, dissident and often
revolutionary style radiated into every facet of her life and paved the
way for modern artists to come.
Taeuber-Arp became a teacher after studying art and dance and
later taught others how to design patterns for textiles. In the terrible
wake of the first world war, European civilisation was on the brink of
collapse and a group of young people were rebelling from the world
of destruction around them. They themselves defined themselves as
nonsensical, cynical, savage and abstract - the dadaists. Responsible
for co-founding the dada art movement, Tauber-Arp's way with
colours and shapes unlocked new possibilities in art, costume and
interior design.
Liberated and yet ordered, radical, yet structured, Taueber-Arp's work
invites us to dance within a grid, to break boundaries by following
her rules. Tied so closely with dance, poetry and performance,
Taueber-Arp created the perfect escapism from the troubled and
violent society around her, making this publication a pertinent
exploration of what it means to create ones own personal order in
an increasingly unstable world.

Dimensions 189 x 246 x 13mm | 410g

Sophie Taeuber-Arp

Designer: Tate Publishing

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