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![Feuille de vigne femelle [Female Fig Leaf]](http://www.nationalgalleries.org/media_collection/6/GMA 3967.jpg)
- © Succession Marcel Duchamp/ ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2004
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![Feuille de vigne femelle [Female Fig Leaf]](http://www.nationalgalleries.org/media_collection/6/GMA%203967.jpg)
Feuille de vigne femelle [Female Fig Leaf]
Marcel Duchamp
- © Succession Marcel Duchamp/ ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2004
Marcel Duchamp
Feuille de vigne femelle [Female Fig Leaf]1950 / 1961On Display | DEAN GALLERY
'Female Fig-leaf' was originally cast in plaster. Duchamp gave one version as a parting gift to his friend Man Ray, who left New York for Paris in 1951. This is one of ten bronze casts, made in 1961. The title of the piece suggests concealment, but 'Female Fig-leaf' may, in fact, be a cast of a woman's genitals. Duchamp did not divulge the manufacturing process of the work, and it has been described as both a simulated and an actual cast. He frequently used eroticism in his work, and in this piece combines eroticism with shock value.
Glossary Open
Cast
The production of a sculpture by use of a mould to make a copy, usually in a more durable material, of the original work. The term is used to describe both the process and the resulting object.
Eroticism
The state of sexual arousal or the ability to arouse sexual feelings.
Details
- Accession no. GMA 3967
- Medium Bronze
- Size 9.00 x 14.00 x 12.50 cm
- Credit Bequeathed by Gabrielle Keiller 1995
Marcel Duchamp (French / American, 1887 - 1968)
Duchamp was born in France, but lived for much of his adult life in America. In 1911 he was painting in a cubist style, but he virtually stopped painting after 1912. Duchamp was intrigued by the idea that ordinary, mass-produced things could be considered as art objects in their own right. He preferred simply to sign, and sometimes alter, household objects, terming them 'readymades'. On moving to America in 1915, Duchamp became a leading figure in the New York Dada group, along with Picabia and Man Ray. His questioning attitude towards definitions of authenticity, originality, artistry and authorship has been immensely influential.
Glossary Open
Cubism
A style of painting originated by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso in the first two decades of the 20th century. Instead of painting a figure or object from a fixed position they represented it from multiple viewpoints.
Dada
A radical artistic and literary movement that was a reaction against the cultural climate that supported the First World War. The Dadaists took an anti-establishment attitude, questioning art's status and favouring performance and collage over traditional art techniques. Many Dadaists went on to become involved with Surrealism.
Readymade
A term coined by Marcel Duchamp to describe an existing object that is taken from its original context and regarded as a work of art.