A decade of letters. Postcards. Scribbled notes. Sophie Taeuber-Arp writing to Annie and Oskar Müller-Widmann. And somewhere in the margins? Jean Arp—hovering, always present. What did they talk about? Art, of course. Sophie’s bold experiments. Jean’s shifting ideas. The electric buzz of the avant-garde in Paris, 1932 to 1942. Colours. Chaos. Creativity. It’s all there, spilling out on every page.
But it wasn’t just about art. Is it ever? The letters evolved, shaped by friendship. By time. Then, history barged in—the German occupation of 1940. Fear threading through their words. Resilience, too. Survival. Sometimes whispered. Sometimes heartbreakingly plain.
And now? Now, we get to read them. These letters and postcards—complete with scans of Sophie’s handwriting—unfold in English for the first time. It’s history, sure. But it’s also personal. Intimate. A glimpse into a world that feels distant yet oddly familiar.
This is just the start—the first in an 8-book series for Fondazione Arp in Locarno. The design will honour them—Sophie and Jean. Their lives. Their words. A bridge between what was and what still lingers. Curious? You should be.
