NO SHOW MUSEUM

Concept of nothing, 1916. By Marcel Duchamp and Walter Arensberg. BF \| A		Emergency in favor of twice Installation de varice par la meilleur étonnement In advance of the broken arm how is it there Cadenas (in French) The knot and a half has to be tired of the common brick trois ou quatre gouttes d'hauteur n'ont rien à faire avec la savagerie careful supplies usually feel like supposing the best line among a dyeing

50 cc air de Paris, 1919. 1st \| B		Glass ampule, readymade, 13.5 x 20.5 cm. The inventor of readymade and ingenious innovator of art, Duchamp occupies a special place in the history of nothingness, too. With his 50cc air de Paris, a piece of invisible art was exhibited for the first time ever – a milestone on the long road to nothing. Although the title of the work claims that it contained only 50 cubic centimeters of air, the artwork consisted of about 125 cubic centimeters of Parisian air. It was enclosed in a perfume-bottle-like glass ampule, which was at that time a conventional container that Duchamp acquired at a pharmacy in Paris. After the original container was broken, Duchamp created a replica in 1949. The restored container no longer contains the original air of 1919 Paris, but the air of 1949.

Playing chess instead of making art, since 1923. 2nd \| B		In 1923, Marcel Duchamp officially ended his relationship with the art world to devote himself exclusively to his longtime love since childhood: the game of chess. By the end of the 1930s he was playing tournament after tournament and was admitted onto the French national team. He also wrote articles and books on chess. André Breton was not amused, saying: "It was not right of Duchamp to abandon the role he played during the war years, in favor of a never-ending chess game, even though this gives an interesting idea about an intellect that is not willing to serve" (1929). However, Duchamp was not consistent in his absence, as he experimented with kinetic apparatuses ("Rotoreliefs"), developed a portable suitcase museum (Boîte-en-Valise, 1935–1941) and participated in some performances and films by his surrealist friends.

Fountain,1917. 2nd \| B		The work consists of a standard urinal from a plumbing store that Duchamp signed with the pseudonym "R. Mutt" and that he submitted for the Big Show of the Society of Independent Artists (SIA) in New York's Central Palace in April 1917. Although the rules stated that all works would be accepted from artists who paid the fee, Fountain was rejected by the Society, which decided that this machine-made, everyday object was not art. However, it was its non-exhibition that led to a long-lasting controversy over the definition of art, and since then this early readymade by Duchamp is considered to be one of the 20th century's most influential works of art. The original from 1917 is lost. The only evidence of its existence is the photograph by Alfred Stieglitz, taken at Gallery 291 after the 1917 Society of Independent Artists exhibit. "The artist is a not great creator—Duchamp went shopping at a plumbing store. The artwork is not a special object—it was mass-produced in a factory. The experience of art is not exciting and ennobling—at best it is puzzling and mostly leaves one with a sense of distaste. But over and above that, Duchamp did not select just any ready-made object to display. In selecting the urinal, his message was clear: Art is something you piss on." (Stephen Hicks)

Links MoMA \| Further informations 1 \| 2 \| 3 \| 4 \| 5 Credits All reproductions © Succession Marcel Duchamp / 2014, ProLitteris, Zurich

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Concept of nothing, 1916. By Marcel Duchamp and Walter Arensberg. BF \| A		Emergency in favor of twice Installation de varice par la meilleur étonnement In advance of the broken arm how is it there Cadenas (in French) The knot and a half has to be tired of the common brick trois ou quatre gouttes d'hauteur n'ont rien à faire avec la savagerie careful supplies usually feel like supposing the best line among a dyeing

50 cc air de Paris, 1919. 1st \| B		Glass ampule, readymade, 13.5 x 20.5 cm. The inventor of readymade and ingenious innovator of art, Duchamp occupies a special place in the history of nothingness, too. With his 50cc air de Paris, a piece of invisible art was exhibited for the first time ever – a milestone on the long road to nothing. Although the title of the work claims that it contained only 50 cubic centimeters of air, the artwork consisted of about 125 cubic centimeters of Parisian air. It was enclosed in a perfume-bottle-like glass ampule, which was at that time a conventional container that Duchamp acquired at a pharmacy in Paris. After the original container was broken, Duchamp created a replica in 1949. The restored container no longer contains the original air of 1919 Paris, but the air of 1949.

Playing chess instead of making art, since 1923. 2nd \| B		In 1923, Marcel Duchamp officially ended his relationship with the art world to devote himself exclusively to his longtime love since childhood: the game of chess. By the end of the 1930s he was playing tournament after tournament and was admitted onto the French national team. He also wrote articles and books on chess. André Breton was not amused, saying: "It was not right of Duchamp to abandon the role he played during the war years, in favor of a never-ending chess game, even though this gives an interesting idea about an intellect that is not willing to serve" (1929). However, Duchamp was not consistent in his absence, as he experimented with kinetic apparatuses ("Rotoreliefs"), developed a portable suitcase museum (Boîte-en-Valise, 1935–1941) and participated in some performances and films by his surrealist friends.

Fountain,1917. 2nd \| B		The work consists of a standard urinal from a plumbing store that Duchamp signed with the pseudonym "R. Mutt" and that he submitted for the Big Show of the Society of Independent Artists (SIA) in New York's Central Palace in April 1917. Although the rules stated that all works would be accepted from artists who paid the fee, Fountain was rejected by the Society, which decided that this machine-made, everyday object was not art. However, it was its non-exhibition that led to a long-lasting controversy over the definition of art, and since then this early readymade by Duchamp is considered to be one of the 20th century's most influential works of art. The original from 1917 is lost. The only evidence of its existence is the photograph by Alfred Stieglitz, taken at Gallery 291 after the 1917 Society of Independent Artists exhibit. "The artist is a not great creator—Duchamp went shopping at a plumbing store. The artwork is not a special object—it was mass-produced in a factory. The experience of art is not exciting and ennobling—at best it is puzzling and mostly leaves one with a sense of distaste. But over and above that, Duchamp did not select just any ready-made object to display. In selecting the urinal, his message was clear: Art is something you piss on." (Stephen Hicks)

Links MoMA \| Further informations 1 \| 2 \| 3 \| 4 \| 5 Credits All reproductions © Succession Marcel Duchamp / 2014, ProLitteris, Zurich