Siglio Publishes Marcel Broodthaers' Collected Poems, Tying to MoMA Retrospective

Siglio has released a new edition of three books by Belgian artist Marcel Broodthaers, titled 'My Ogre Book, Shadow Theater, Midnight,' coinciding with his retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. The 160-page volume, limited to 1,000 copies and priced at $39.95, compiles works from 1957 to 1974, including the poetic tableaux 'My Ogre Book' (1957) and 'Midnight' (1960), alongside the all-image collection 'Shadow Theater' (1973-1974). Translated by Elizabeth Zuba with Maria Gilissen Broodthaers, the book features 80 slides from comic strips and other sources, exploring themes of nonsense and reality reminiscent of Lewis Carroll. Broodthaers, known for his films and visual art, such as the 1969 work 'La Pluie,' often blurred boundaries between poetry and art, favoring the ephemeral over the academic. The publication's layout echoes children's books and references Raymond Roussel and Zo's 1929 collaboration 'New Impressions of Africa,' with images placed between poems without text. In a 1965 statement, Broodthaers expressed enthusiasm for the artificial and false, challenging assumed logic. The collection invites readers to engage imaginatively, with motifs like volcanoes and shadow puppets recurring throughout.