Rrose Sélavy
<p>Marcel Duchamp titled this book after his female alter-ego, Rrose Selavy. Fascinated by the psychological power of humor, Duchamp chose the surname as a clever riff on the common French phrase <em>c'est la vie</em>. The pronunciation of the first name <em>Rrose</em> sounds like <em>Eros</em>, making the name’s translation to “love/sex, that’s life!”</p> <p>Presented with this unique context, Mary Reynold’s binding of Duchamp’s work adds another layer of Surrealist play through her decision to deboss the title into cardboard and frame it with rope.</p> <p>The book’s endpapers display bold drawings of insects over pochoir (stencil) prints of foliage. Two of the insects—the Malaysian giant leaf bug and the marsh crane fly—have the evolutionary ability to camouflage themselves into their environment by mimicking something else. This idea of mimicry inspired the Surrealists, possibly because of an essay by Roger Caillois titled “Mimicry and Legendary Psychasthenia,” published in the Surrealist magazine <a href="https://artic.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01ARTIC_INST/1ag4830/alma991003418879703801"><em>Minotaure</em></a> in 1935. With this collection of puns, Duchamp presented a camouflaged version of himself via the persona of Rrose Selavy.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1939
- Dimensions
- 17.1 × 12.2 × 1.1 cm (6 3/4 × 4 13/16 × 7/16 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Artist
- Mary Reynolds
Artist
Textile
Mary Reynolds was an American artist and bookbinder active in Paris during the mid-twentieth century. Working primarily in hand-bound volumes and paper arts, she developed a distinctive practice that merged fine art with the craft tradition of bookbinding. Her work bridged Surrealist circles and the material culture of the book object itself. This profile will be expanded as more verified source material becomes available.
Full artist profile →More
More by Mary Reynolds
Le surmâle: Roman moderne (Superman: A Modern Novel)
1945 · Full black morocco binding with onlay; metal corset stay attached to spine; title stamped in gold on spine; mauve endpapers printed with wire-mesh pattern; original paper covers bound in
Loin de Rueil (Skin of Dreams)
1944 · Full red morocco binding with raised bands; author and title stamped in gold on spine; endpapers of trial proofs for Marcel Duchamp's 1935 cover of Minotaure; original paper covers bound in
Les Enfants du limon: Roman (Children of Clay: Novel)
1938 · Bound in combination full morocco leather with gold lettering, leather doublure margins; marbled paper end leaves; original covers bound in
Les Mains libres: Dessins de Man Ray, illustrés par les poèmes de Paul Éluard (Free Hands: Drawings illustrated by the poems of Paul Éluard)
1937 · Full tan morocco binding; leather gloves onlaid on front and back covers; author and title stamped in palladium on spine; doublures; silk endpapers; top edge gilt; original paper covers bound in
Ubu roi: Drame en cinq actes (King Ubu: A Play in Five Acts)
1935 · Full tan morocco binding; boards die cut in the shape of U; onlays on spine in shape of B; black silk endleaves; crown stamped in gold on front endleaf; author stamped in gold on back endleaf; gilt edges; original paper covers bound in
La machine infernale: pièce en 4 actes
1934 · Full vellum binding, wine-colored morocco label with gold lettering on spine; vellum end leaves; original paper covers bound in
Record
Verified by WattsOS- Artist
- Mary Reynolds
- Year
- 1939
- Dimensions
- 17.1 × 12.2 × 1.1 cm (6 3/4 × 4 13/16 × 7/16 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1939-047796
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified