The memorial plaque
The memorial plaque which was fixed to the outside wall of the building 5 rue de la Mésange, in honour of Marcelle Cahn, is a reproduction of a lithography published with Jean Hans Arp Dada poem , "Blatt um Feder um Blatt".
" ... whiteness with shapes of very simple structure." Michel Seuphor.
Marcelle Cahn was born on March 1st 1895 in Strasbourg , 5 rue de La Mésange. She died at 86, on september 20 1981, at the Galignani Foundation of Neuilly-sur-Seine.
"My family is Alsacian of French extraction, eventhough when I was born in 1895 in Strasbourg the city then was German. Due to this was immersed in a double culture. Being educated first in a german school, and while still young going to Berlin made a strong mark on me. Because of this I am a rather a double faced person. Arp,himself experienced the same situation." (1)
In Paris in 1925 Marcelle Cahn took part in the exhibition Art d’Aujourd’hui : "It was a fundamental exhibition, the first international exhibition of the current trend of that period...
The paintings of Arp and the Surrealists were in a room at the entrance, then there was a larger room with the works of Leger. In that very room were two of my paintings : the 1925 abstract composition and "L’évier" (The sink), opposite works by Francisca Clausen.... I took a great interest in the works of Arp ... In my opinion, what prevailed in Arp work was poetry. It prevails. even in his constructivist works. Poetry takes over construction and surrealistic expression. His work forms a whole . Above all he is a poet , the poet speaks even when he is constructing. " (1)
In 1929, Marcelle Cahn became well acquainted with Jean Arp and Sophie Taeuber-Arp when Michel Seuphor invited her to join the group "Cercle et Carré". The three artists became friends, a friendship that lasted beyond the ups and downs of Second World War.
In 1976, to commemorate the tenth anniversary years of the death of Jean Hans Arp, Sybil Albers published jean Arp poem dada, "Blatt um Feder um Blatt" ( 1951/1952) in Zurich, It included 6 lithographies by Marcelle Cahn
Alexandra Pignol
(1) Autobiographical narrative of Marcelle Cahn thanks to Daniel Abadie , published in the catalog issued in 1972 for the itinerant exhibition about Marcelle Cahn’s works that was organised by le Centre National d’Art Contemporain.
