Arman

Armand Fernandez

1928 (Nice, France) – 2005 (New York)

Arman was the artist name of the man born Armand Fernandez. He met Klein aged 18 at a judo club: they went on adventures, worked closely together and remained great friends. Saint Phalle, Tinguely, Spoerri and Christo were other fellow Nouveaux Réalistes, with Restany their ‘organiser.’ He made work for Spoerri’s ‘Eat Art’ gallery. Among other friends, Christo, LeWitt. Kosuth, Lichtenstein, Oldenburg, Rauschenberg and Warhol all contributed studio detritus, Rauschenberg also giving him English lessons, and Warhol filming him. Duchamp, an artistic influence, became his long-term chess partner; he also played with Tzara, Ernst and Ray, rating none as very good.

Constant

Constant Nieuwenhuys

1920 (Amsterdam) – 2005 (Amsterdam)

Constant and Jorn originally met at a Miró exhibition in Paris. In 1948 he also met Appel, Noiret and Dotremont, and collectively (including Jorn, and the painter Corneille) they founded CoBrA. He shared a Paris apartment with Appel. He corresponded regularly with Debord on Situationist matters, collaborated on an exhibition project with Rietveld, and got involved with Lefebvre, whose ‘Critique of Everyday Life’ had been an inspiration for CoBrA.