Marcel Duchamp's 'Étant donnés' and the Black Dahlia Connection
In an article for art press, Frédérique Joseph-Lowery posits a connection between Marcel Duchamp's posthumous work 'Étant donnés' (1946–1966) and the 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short, known as the Black Dahlia. This theory was challenged by the Philadelphia Museum of Art's exhibition from August 15 to November 29, 2009, curated by Michael Taylor, who interpreted the nude as a post-coital representation, despite it being modeled after Maria Martins and Teeny Duchamp. Duchamp's 1933 manuscript for the 'Large Glass' contains a mistranslation of 'fait divers' by American scholars. The peepholes in the installation suggest a crime scene, and Joseph-Lowery observes a change in the figure after 1948, following Martins' departure from Duchamp. The exhibition also included Hannah Wilke's video and two nails sealing the door, framed as erotic artifacts. Anne d'Harnoncourt, who oversaw the installation of 'Étant donnés' in 1969, passed away before the exhibition commenced.
Key facts
- Marcel Duchamp's 'Étant donnés' was created 1946–1966 and first installed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1969.
- The 2009 Philadelphia Museum of Art exhibition 'Marcel Duchamp. Étant donnés' ran from August 15 to November 29, 2009.
- Frédérique Joseph-Lowery argues the installation is linked to the 1947 Black Dahlia murder of Elizabeth Short.
- Michael Taylor, the exhibition curator, denies the Black Dahlia connection and presents the nude as a post-coital image.
- The nude was cast from Maria Martins and Teeny Duchamp.
- Duchamp's 1933 manuscript uses 'fait divers' (crime news), mistranslated as 'various facts' by American researchers.
- The nude's position changed from standing to recumbent after 1948, when Maria Martins left Duchamp.
- Hannah Wilke's video 'Seen Through the Large Glass' (1976) was shown in the exhibition.
- The two nails that sealed the door of 'Étant donnés' were displayed as erotic objects.
- Maria Martins was a sculptor whose works were acquired by MoMA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- The sculpture 'Yara' by Maria Martins was vandalized and could not be seen through the Large Glass.
- Anne d'Harnoncourt, who installed 'Étant donnés' in 1969, died in 2008 before the exhibition opened.
Entities
Artists
- Marcel Duchamp
- Maria Martins
- Teeny Duchamp
- Alexina Duchamp
- Salvador Dalí
- Man Ray
- Hannah Wilke
- Louise Bourgeois
- Jeff Koons
- Paul Matisse
- Mary Reynold
- Hans Bellmer
- Gustave Courbet
- Pablo Picasso
- Stéphane Mallarmé
- Roland Barthes
- Charles Stuckey
- Francis Naumann
- Jean-Michel Rabaté
- Juan Antonio Ramirez
- Christ Grandlung
- Michel Jonasz
- Joris-Karl Huysmans
- Émile Zola
- Max Ernst
- Richard Hamilton
- Patricia Falguières
Institutions
- Philadelphia Museum of Art
- MoMA
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- BBC
- Art in America
- New York Times
- art press
- JRP / Ringier
- Les Presses du réel
- Bulfinch Press
- Étant donné (journal)
Locations
- Philadelphia
- United States
- New York City
- Amazon River
- Dijon
- France
Sources
- artpress —