Composition (1962)

Arthur Aeschbacher was born in Geneva, Switzerland and studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts there, and at Fernand Leger’s Atelier in Paris. He is a representative of New Realism, a term coined by the influential art critic Pierre Restany. The socalled ‘Nouveaux Réalistes’ were active in Paris during the 1950-1960s, and in their founding declaration recognised their collective singularity in researching new perceptual approaches of reality. Besides Aeschbacher, this group included Arman, Yves Klein, Martial Raysse, Daniel Spoerri, Jean Tinguely, and Jacques Villeglé. Their work incorporated consumer objects and new media in response to the post-war period’s painterly modes and the burgeoning consumer and industrial society.

Aeschbacher’s art is found in the following museums: Musée d’art moderne, Villeneuve d’Asq; Musée d’art contemporain, Hornu; Musée d’art Moderne, Lille Métropole; Museum of Geometric and MADI Art, Dallas; Musée d’art moderne de Saint Etienne, Saint Etienne.

Arthur Aeschbacher’s work has been offered at auction multiple times, the record price being $30,827 USD for Horizon, Sans Titre sold at Artcurial in 2011.