Duchamp's Woolworth Building Readymade and 9/11
In a 2002 essay, biologist Stephen Jay Gould linked Marcel Duchamp to the September 11 attacks through the Woolworth Building. Duchamp, upon arriving in New York in 1915, called the city "a work of art" and favored the Woolworth Building for its Gothic style and height. He planned to make it a readymade, writing a note in 1916: "Trouver inscription pour Woolworth Bldg comme readymade." This note was only published in 1966 in À l’infinitif by Cordier & Ekstrom Gallery, the same year the North Tower of the World Trade Center was begun. Duchamp's readymade concept, treating buildings as symbols, prefigures how the towers became targets. The article appears in Artribune Magazine #62, written by Marco Senaldi.
Key facts
- Stephen Jay Gould published an essay on Duchamp and 9/11 in January 2002.
- Duchamp called New York City 'a work of art' in a 1915 interview.
- Duchamp preferred the Woolworth Building, calling it Gothic.
- The Woolworth Building was designed by Cass Gilbert and built 1910-1913.
- Duchamp wrote a note in 1916: 'Trouver inscription pour Woolworth Bldg comme readymade'.
- The note was published in 1966 in À l’infinitif by Cordier & Ekstrom Gallery.
- The North Tower of the World Trade Center was begun in 1966.
- The North Tower collapsed in the September 11 attacks.
- The article was published in Artribune Magazine #62.
- Marco Senaldi is the author of the article.
Entities
Artists
- Marcel Duchamp
- Cass Gilbert
Institutions
- Cordier & Ekstrom Gallery
- Artribune Magazine
Locations
- New York City
- United States
- Woolworth Building
- World Trade Center
- North Tower