- 106
Marcel Duchamp
Estimate
30,000 - 40,000 EUR
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Description
- Marcel Duchamp
- Chess Knight
- indistinctly signed Marcel, inscribed New York-Paris Chère Maria and dated Aout 50 (on the lower part of the glass)
- painted cut-out, mounted between two sheets of glass
- glass: 17 x 9 cm; 6 5/8 x 3 1/2 in; cut-out: 6 x 3.2 cm; 2 3/4 x 1 1/4 in.
Provenance
Maria Martins (a gift of the artist in 1950)
Private collection (by descent and sold: Sotheby's, New York, February 21, 2002, lot 105)
Acquired at the above sale by Dr. Arthur Brandt
Private collection (by descent and sold: Sotheby's, New York, February 21, 2002, lot 105)
Acquired at the above sale by Dr. Arthur Brandt
Exhibited
Boone, Turchin Center for the Arts, The Omnipotent Dream: Man Ray, Confluences and Influences, 2003, illustrated in the catalogue p. 28, listed p. 34
Ithaca, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, A Private Eye: Dada, Surrealism, and More from the Brandt Collection, 2006, illustrated in the catalogue p. 33
London, Tate Modern; Barcelona, Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Duchamp, Man Ray, Picabia, 2008, fig. 189, illustrated p. 142
New York, Blain, Di Donna, Dada & Surrealist Objects, 2013, illustrated in the catalogue pl. 92
Ithaca, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, A Private Eye: Dada, Surrealism, and More from the Brandt Collection, 2006, illustrated in the catalogue p. 33
London, Tate Modern; Barcelona, Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Duchamp, Man Ray, Picabia, 2008, fig. 189, illustrated p. 142
New York, Blain, Di Donna, Dada & Surrealist Objects, 2013, illustrated in the catalogue pl. 92
Condition
It is not possible to unframe the work. The collage element appears to be intact and stable. There mount shows some spots of foxing together with partial time-staining. This work is in very good 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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
Like Man Ray, the game of chess was compelling to Duchamp who was an extremely good player. It was one of the essential components to his art, a game based upon skill and strategy, filled with spatial organisation and a set of inspirational contradictions, permitting occasional demonstrations of genius. Duchamp created several chess set designs and associated himself with the Knight, perhaps because its erratic movement on the chessboard mirrored his peripatetic lifestyle, and possibly alluding to his own controversial contribution to Modern Art. He gifted the present work to his companion and muse, the Brazilian sculptor Maria Martins (1894-1973).