Première lumière

Artist Marcel Duchamp French, 1887-1968

Publisher PAB (Pierre André Benoit) Alès, 1959

Author P. A. (Pierre André) Benoit French, 1924-1993

Date1959

DimensionsBook: H: 5 1/16 in. (129 mm); W: 6 1/2 in. (165 mm); Depth: 1/8 in. (3 mm);
Page (untrimmed): H: 4 7/8 in. (124 mm); W: 6 3/16 in. (157 mm)

MediumEtching

ClassificationBooks

Credit LineGift of Molly and Walter Bareiss

Object number

1984.434

Not on View

Collections

Works on Paper

Published Referencescf. Schwarz, Arturo, The Complete Works of Marcel Duchamp, New York, 1970, no. 352, p. 536, repr.Label TextPublisher Pierre André Benoit (who published under his initials PAB) was fond of printing very small books. He would solicit artwork from his friends, sending them several sheets of celluloid on which they could scratch a drypoint engraving. He printed the engravings himself and sometimes wrote his own poem or text to accompany the print. He published 15 tiny books with art by Picasso, four with his friend Jean Dubuffet, and three with Duchamp. Many other artists and writers were tapped for this personal obsession. Unlike other publishers, who spent years on a single publication, Benoit would send a finished book to an artist only a few weeks after receiving an image. Editions were no more than 30 or 40 copies.