Duchamp & Company: Provocation, Play, and Genius at Auction in New York

Phillips in New York is hosting an auction entirely dedicated to Marcel Duchamp and his profound influence. Titled "Duchamp & Company," the sale features over a hundred lots by the Franco-American artist, alongside works by his contemporaries and subsequent artists who drew inspiration, ideas, and suggestions from his groundbreaking practice. Curated by Francis M. Naumann, a renowned Surrealism scholar, curator, author, and collector, the auction is scheduled for April 23rd. It coincides with Phillips' seasonal Editions & Works on Paper and Modernism sales and will be preceded by a public exhibition at 432 Park Avenue from April 16th to 22nd. This event is particularly timely as it occurs in the same month that the Museum of Modern Art opens the first major U.S. retrospective dedicated to Duchamp since 1973.

The auction's title, "DUCHAMP & COMPANY," is a deliberate choice. It originates from an expression Alfred Stieglitz used in a letter to Georgia O’Keeffe, referring to the individuals who brought Duchamp's famous 1917 "Fountain" – the urinal transformed into art – to his gallery for photography. "Duchamp and company." In the context of this sale, "company" now signifies the artists featured alongside him, including Man Ray, Robert Rauschenberg, Richard Pettibone, Mike Bidlo, Sherrie Levine, John Baldessari, and Joseph Kosuth.

"Marcel Duchamp irreversibly transformed our understanding of art and authorship, and this sale is conceived as a tribute to that enduring legacy," explain Kelly Troester and Cary Leibowitz, Deputy Chairpersons and Worldwide Co-Heads of Editions. "The project is particularly relevant now, given the renewed institutional interest in his work, including an upcoming exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, which has reignited public and academic discourse on his practice."

Among the most iconic lots at the Phillips auction is De ou par Marcel Duchamp ou Rrose Sélavy (La Boîte-en-valise), série F (1966). This is one of the artist's most intricate and elaborate multiples, comprising 80 miniature replicas of his most famous works – essentially a portable retrospective encased in a signed red leather suitcase. It is estimated to fetch between $350,000 and $450,000. Also notable is the dinner invitation L.H.O.O.Q. Shaved (1965), which highlights Duchamp’s irreverent wit and sense of humor. To create it, the artist affixed playing cards, each adorned with a reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, onto a sheet of paper, writing "rasée" (shaved) on each one.

More traditional prints are also available, catering to a wider range of collectors. An example is The Chess Players (1965), an etching depicting the artist's brothers playing chess, based on a 1911 charcoal drawing, estimated at $18,500–22,500. For true connoisseurs, there's a rare 1937 pochoir-colored reproduction of Nude Descending a Staircase. Derived from his iconic painting of the same name, it is signed on a small French postage stamp – a distinctive gesture by which Duchamp authenticated the work. This piece is estimated at $80,000-100,000. The opportunity to acquire a piece of Duchamp's genius awaits collectors at Phillips in New York.