Constellation According to the Laws of Chance
- Artist: Jean Arp (Hans Arp)
- Date: c.1930
- Medium: Painted wood
- Dimensions: object: 549 x 698 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is the “Constellation According to the Laws of Chance” by Jean Arp. Created around 1930, the piece is a small painted‑wood relief that balances eight monochrome, biomorphic shapes. Three white ovoids sit in shallow relief, casting subtle shadows, while five black forms are painted directly onto the white background. The arrangement feels like a celestial map—Arp’s own “cosmic shapes” that suggest clouds, stars, or planetary orbits. The title invites the viewer to see how chance and flux guide the composition; Arp often rearranged these forms before finalizing them, letting a degree of unpredictability shape the work. Rooted in the Dada and Surrealist interest in chance operations, this relief exemplifies Arp’s goal to let nature’s generative processes speak through abstract, non‑representational forms.
See it in person
Constellation According to the Laws of Chance is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
