Red Tubes of Paint by Arman (1980)

Tubes of cadmium red paint lie in a loose pile. Red Tubes of Paint, 1980, by Arman, gathers them like spent cartridges after a battle. Some caps are twisted off, others still sealed. The crimson pigment bleeds at the seams, staining the metal and pooling on the white ground. A few labels remain legible, their black typeface stark against the red. The tubes themselves are dented, squeezed, or flattened, their once-smooth surfaces now creased and worn. Hang it above a drafting table or beside a bookshelf of art monographs, where the red can echo without shouting.