Marcel Duchamp

Gabrielle Buffet-Picabia, Paris
Edmond Bomsel, Paris
Dr. Emile-Jean Bomsel, Paris
Vente : Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 25 novembre 1982, lot 51
Acquis lors de cette vente par le propriétaire actuel

Paris, Musée Pédagogique, Perennité de l'Art Gaulois, 1955, no. 465
Paris, Bateau-Lavoir, Dessins Cubistes, 1957
Londres, The Tate Gallery, The Almost Complete Works of Marcel Duchamp, 1966, no. 84
Rouen, Musée des Beaux-Arts & Paris, Musée national d'art moderne, Les Duchamps : Jacques Villon, Raymond Duchamp-Villon, Marcel Duchamp, Suzanne Duchamp, 1967, no. 59
Philadelphie, Museum of Art ; New York, Museum of Modern Art & Chicago, The Art Institute, Marcel Duchamp, 1973-74, no. 75
Paris, Musée national d'art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, L'Œuvre de Marcel Duchamp, 1977, no. 67
Barcelone, Fundació Joan Miró ; Madrid, Sala de Exposiciones de la Caja de Pensiones & Cologne, Museum Ludwig, Duchamp, 1984, no. 34
Venise, Palazzo Grassi, Marcel Duchamp, 1993

Robert Lebel, Sur Marcel Duchamp, Paris, 1959, no. 91, reproduit pl. 53
Pierre Cabanne, Entretiens avec Marcel Duchamp, Paris, 1967, p. 59
Arturo Schwarz, The Complete Works of Marcel Duchamp, Londres, 1969, no. 186, reproduit p. 434
Arturo Schwarz, Marcel Duchamp, la mariée mise à nu chez Marcel Duchamp, même, Paris, 1974, no. 36, p. 138, reproduit pl. XX
Ecke Bonk, Marcel Duchamp. The Box in a Valise. de ou par Marcel Duchamp ou Rrose Sélavy, Inventory of an Edition (trad. David Britt), New York, 1989, no. 33, p. 156, reproduit pp. 69 & 228
Arturo Schwarz, The Complete Works of Marcel Duchamp, New York, 1997, vol. II, no. 245, reproduit pp. 320, 565 et pl. 56
Calvin Tomkins, Duchamp. A Biography, Londres, 1997, pp. 85-86
Linda Dalrymple Henderson, Duchamp in Context. Science & Technology in the Large Glass and Related Works, Princeton, 1998, pp. 16, 19-20, 134, 196, 204, 243, note 1, reproduit fig. 22

Executed on cream wove paper, laid down on Japan paper. The edges have been restored (notably along the left edge, in the centre of the right edge and in the four corners), as visible in the catalogue illustration. The central motif remains in original condition . There are some very minor and faint spots of foxing and some light general time-staining. This work is in good overall stable condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

signed 'Marcel Duchamp' and dated '12' (lower right) ; titled '2 nus : un fort et un vite' (lower centre), charcoal and graphite on paper. Executed in Neuilly in 1912.

Dessin d'une importance historique capitale, cette œuvre est l'un des tout derniers témoignages en mains privées du "tour de la peinture en huit mois" (Robert Lebel) effectué par Duchamp en 1912. Il annonce la révolution majeure de l'art figuratif déclenchée par Duchamp avec ses premiers ready-mades, conçus quelques mois plus tard et contient plusieurs éléments repris par Duchamp dans son grand œuvre La Mariée mise à nu par ses  Célibataires, même (Le Grand Verre).

A drawing of capital historical importance, this work is one of the very last testimonies in private hands of the "tour de la peinture en huit mois" (Robert Lebel) carried out by Duchamp in 1912. It announces the major revolution of figurative art prompted by Duchamp's first ready-mades, conceived a few months later and encompassing several elements that Duchamp takes up again in his great work La Mariée mise à nu par ses Célibataires, même (Le Grand Verre).