Duchampian News & Views
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Hanno Otten at JAGR
December 1, 2010The Duchampian is on display in photographer-painter Hanno Otten’s prints being shown now at Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse JAGR space. Otten paints abstract images, then photographs them in order to manipulate scale or focus. Often, the sense of motion emerges — as in the Rotoreliefs that inspired them. (Through February 11.)
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Covering the Walls with History
November 29, 2010An ongoing exhibit of wallpaper in Lausanne highlights a provocative design by Swiss artist Rudolf Herz: alternating portraits of Marcel Duchamp and Adolf Hitler, both photographed by Heinrich Hoffmann. The wallpaper, called Zugzwang — a forced move in chess — has prompted comparisons between the two men, but the overall effect is less politically charged than it is meditative.
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“Pimping” the Fountain
November 24, 2010 Texas sculptor Anthony Thompson Shumate has created a series of objects named after -- and arguably inspired by -- the eternal phrases often recited to artists in lieu of criticism or conventional wisdom. The "pimped out" urinal on display (to use the Houston Press critic's phrase) at the Barbara Davis Gallery is replete with bright industrial paint and fine detailing, and is apparently proudly signed. Its title? "You know I've seen a piece like that before. Do.. read more... -
New York Art Thief Apprehended
November 23, 2010A New York City chauffeur has been convicted of stealing more than $3 millino in art and other possessions from an elderly poet and Pulitzer heir. James Biear stole artwork including Duchamp’s playing card "Mona Lisa," Francis Picabia’s portrait of Jean Cocteau and Andy Warhol’s ketchup-inspired sculpture Heinz 57. Provenance on at least some of the objects was forged for resale.
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Duchampian Alchemy in New Jersey
November 22, 2010 A 3,000-square-foot rural New Jersey house has become what the owner/decorator considers "the museum of the new alchemy" due to its many Duchampian flourishes: found objects as trim, readymade sculpture and even ironic plumbing. The architect attributes his inspiration to Beatrice Wood, "mama of dada." While some of the details may veer into kitsch or even retinal territory, the Duchampian impulse appears strong as well. For more, visit lunaparc.com.. read more... -
The Aesthetics of Chance
November 18, 2010 The Prague Post has a glowing review of Hebert Molderings' new study of the impact of random encounters on Duchamp's artistic production, Duchamp and the Aesthetics of Chance. While the review begins with a salute to the again-ubiquitous urinal, it quickly drills down into the deeper implications of the readymade object. The question, we might ask, is not why a urinal, but why this particular urinal? What grand chain of circumstance and accident leads us to select this partic.. read more... -
Hiroshi Sugimoto Pays Electric Tribute
November 16, 2010Mr. Sugimoto, best known as a photographer, has assembled various "assisted" readymades that combine his love of Marcel Duchamp’s career with electricity. The rest is a collection of "bachelor machines" that dazzle, intrigue and even startle from time to time. These wheels not only spin but spark. (At New York’s Pace Gallery, through December 24.)
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“Mustached Mona Lisa” Sells at Christie’s
November 12, 2010No. 21 of a limited edition of 35 copies of L.H.O.O.Q. sold recently at Christie’s in New York for $452,000, roughly five times as much as the auction house expected. The image — hand-doodled by the artist on an existing mass-market reproduction — comes from the collection of Robert Shapazian, while the auction itself has raised eyebrows (if not mustaches) from as far away as Moscow.
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Sotheby’s Selling a Man Ray Original
November 10, 2010Next Friday, an auction of rare photographs in the Paris Sotheby’s includes a treat for Marcel Duchamp fans: an original portrait of the artist by lifelong collaborator Man Ray, consigned by the Duchamp family itself. The item, bearing Ray’s original Parisian stamp, is expected to fetch bids in the 15,000- to 20,000-euro range (roughly $21,000 to $28,000).
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