Customer Reviews

Marcel Duchamp: Etant donnes (Philadelphia Museum of Art)

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If you buy one modern art book this year, this should be the one. It is the catalogue for the current exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where most of Duchamp's works are kept.

It thoroughly documents the inception, over a period of twenty years (until Duchamp's death in 1968) of his most important work, "Etant donnés: 1/ La chute d'eau, 2/ Le gaz d'éclairage", a work that sums up all of the artist's theories and - above all -mysteries (at the time of the creation of "Etant donnés...", Duchamp was thought to have completely retired from being an active artist). Though it is sealed behind two closed antique wooden doors through which two tiny holes have been pierced for one sole viewer at a time to be able to peep through them, this work is a door-opener: it opens to a myriad of interpretations and ways of making art that are still relevant today (as the catalogue rightly points out, a whole chapter being devoted to its influence on contemporary artists such as Robert Gober or Marcel Dzama).

The book is a trove of previously unpublished documents on the creation of the work, but also on its installation in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, an installation supervised by the late Anne d'Harnoncourt (director of the museum for more than 20 years and who passed away recently). It is enriched by numerous color illustrations and is destined to become a collector's piece in its own right.

It is rare to encounter a book (or an exhibition) centred on a single piece of art. Etant donnes, Marcel Duchamp's late eroic masterpiece, is housed in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The work is seen through two peepholes in a wooden door. It consists of a faceless naked woman lying in a field, legs spread wide apart and holding a gas lantern. In the background is a painted and photographed landscape.

The first two thirds of the book consists of liberally illustrated essays meticulously describing the genesis, construction, installation and legacy of Duchamp's construction. There are also additional technical articles concerning the work. The latter part of the catalogue consists of illustrations, artworks, photographs and documents related to Etant donnes. I would warn potential purchasers of a prurient nature that a significant number of the illustrations are of an erotic nature, albeit tastefully presented. Perhaps the book should be given a M rating!

With my previous sentences in mind, I am reluctant to observe that I derived great pleasure from reading this excellent catalogue! Of course the pleasure was purely aesthetic. It is worth noting that Duchamp's work created quite a stir at its unveiling in 1969. Nowadays, 40 years down the track, most people would hardly bat an eyelid. This excellently printed book is warmly recommended.