hand-painted foam rubber and black velvet 7⅛ h × 8¼ w in (18 × 21 cm)
This work was created in collaboration between Duchamp and Enrico Donati for the Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme at the Maeght Gallery in Paris. Organizer André Breton enlisted Duchamp to design the cover of the catalog and for the deluxe, limited edition run, Duchamp and Donati purchased false breasts from a warehouse in Brooklyn and hand-painted each example to resemble the left breast of artist Maria Martins. They then affixed them to cardboard covers with the instructions Prière de toucher (Please touch) emblazoned on the back cover.
provenance: Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Santa Monica | Collection of Richard Lorenz | Private Collection
literature: Marcel Duchamp, D'Harnoncourt and McShine, pg. 324
This work will ship from Lambertville, New Jersey.
