Arcana:

(DUCHAMP, MARCEL). Duchamp, Marcel. Mathieu Mercier, Editor. Köln, GERMANY: Verlag Der Buchhandlung Walther Konig, 2016. First Edition. Folio. Loose Contents in a Box. Artist Monograph. As New/No Jacket - As Issued. Sixty-nine loose components housed in a box. Text in English. "Everything important that I have done can be put into a little suitcase," Marcel Duchamp said in 1952. Finally, that suitcase is available to all! One of the most important and enigmatic pieces of modernist art, the Boîte-en-valise (Box in a Valise) was assembled by Duchamp between 1935 and 1941. The portable suitcase contains "the sum of his artistic work" up to that point. Perhaps in premonition of the coming war, and over years without a fixed address, Duchamp reproduced his work in a format that enabled him to easily transport his "complete works" at any time. Though the artist eventually made three hundred copies of his box, many are behind glass in museums and private collections. This is the first ever reinterpretation of the legendary book-object, conceptualized by French artist Mathieu Mercier, and now available to a broader audience. At once a work in and of itself, and a reproduction in the Duchampian spirit, this miniature museum contains sixty-nine reproductions of Duchamp's most celebrated creations, including the famous "Fountain", "Nude Descending a Staircase", and "The Large Glass". Mercier has reproduced the bulk of the contents of Duchamp's original box in paper form, designing everything to scale. Playful and accessible, the "Boîte" reflects Duchamp's desire to display his works outside the museum and gallery system." A brand new, pristine example of the quickly sold out 2016 Walther König first populist edition of this monumental undertaking unopened in the publisher's printed shipping carton."Everything important that I have done can be put into a little suitcase," Marcel Duchamp said in 1952. Finally, that suitcase is available to all! One of the most important and enigmatic pieces of modernist art, the Boîte-en-valise (Box in a Valise) was assembled by Duchamp between 1935 and 1941. The portable suitcase contains "the sum of his artistic work" up to that point. Perhaps in premonition of the coming war, and over years without a fixed address, Duchamp reproduced his work in a format that enabled him to easily transport his "complete works" at any time. Though the artist eventually made three hundred copies of his box, many are behind glass in museums and private collections. This is the first ever reinterpretation of the legendary book-object, conceptualized by French artist Mathieu Mercier, and now available to a broader audience. At once a work in and of itself, and a reproduction in the Duchampian spirit, this miniature museum contains sixty-nine reproductions of Duchamp's most celebrated creations, including the famous "Fountain", "Nude Descending a Staircase", and "The Large Glass". Mercier has reproduced the bulk of the contents of Duchamp's original box in paper form, designing everything to scale. Playful and accessible, the "Boîte" reflects Duchamp's desire to display his works outside the museum and gallery system." A brand new, pristine example of the quickly sold out 2016 Walther König first edition of this monumental undertaking unopened in the publisher's printed shipping carton. 3-86335-518-0 Inventory Number: 026435