"The Blind Man" edited by Marcel Duchamp, Henri Pierre-Roché, and Beatrice Wood (Ugly Duckling Presse)

 

THE BLIND MAN

Edited by Marcel Duchamp, Pierre-Roché, Beatrice Wood.  

Introduction by Sophie Seita & Translation by Elizabeth Zuba

Ugly Duckling Presse, ISBN: 9781937027889

What surprises me the most is thinking that this publication is very much like a zine one can find at the Printed Matter Book/Zine Festival. It's quirky, passionate, and absolutely modern. Marcel Duchamp and his pal Henri Pierre-Roché arrive in New York City and meet the artist Beatrice Wood. The mighty trio produced The Blind Man as a support for the first exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists exhibition put together by Duchamp, Man Ray, Katherine Dreier, and others. 

Interestingly, the editors/publishers were visual artists, except for Pierre-Roché, who was an art collector, curator, and novelist who, late in life, wrote "Jules and Jim." Some hinted that the novel is based on a relationship between the three editors, or it could have been another threesome. Still, the bohemian lifestyle produced this magnificent publication that only lasted for three issues. Like all good things, there is a beginning, and then… life goes on. One of The Blind Man's notable aspects is the first mention of Duchamp's classic avant-garde work, "The Fountain," which was sent to the art festival was turned down because it was dirty (urinal) and mass-produced made by a commercial company. R. Mutt, the artist (Duchamp), claimed it's a work of art because he says so! The first of the famous ready-mades by the genius artist. 

The Blind Man's beautiful concept is that anyone can contribute an article or even have art by children. Anarchy as an art publication. Among some of the others, Mina Loy, a fascinating figure in the early American Avant-Garde world, being an artist, writer, poet, and a significant presence in the bohemian art world, has a major hand in The Blind Man. There's poetry, a manifesto for the publication, and then a somewhat rave art review for Maret Oppenheim. 

The beauty of The Blind Man and other artist orientated magazines/journals is that a small community produced works that have a lasting and profound presence in our contemporary times. The Internet killed the importance of a hard copy journal. Still, it can't replace the beauty of holding, seeing, and reading a publication. The slight production mistakes of the original production of this publication are more of charm than distress. The people at Ugly Duckling Presse did a remarkable job producing a box-set of this small but big as an inspiration for the scene then and even now. 

"3 New York DADAS + The Blind Man" by Marcel Duchamp, Henri-Pierre Roché and Beatrice Wood

Atlas Press (Distributed by D.A.P.) ISBN: 978-1900565-43-1

Atlas Press, out of London (and distributed by D.A.P.) always goes the extra mile.  They've been around for years, yet they are releasing really important books.  Today, I didn't want to be be disturbed or interrupted while reading "3 New Dadas and The Blind Man."  So I took a series of bus trips through out Los Angeles, for the purpose of reading this book from the beginning to the end.  Probably the best Saturday in my life, so far.

The book is both a document, a memoir, as well as fiction regarding three major figures in the early 20th century Arts: Henri-Pierre Roché, Beatrice Wood and of course Marcel Duchamp.  The two Frenchmen came to reside in New York City, where they met Ms. Wood.   At the time, sort of combination of a party girl and hardcore aesthetic person.  In fact, this little volume is a perfect snapshot of bohemian life in New York.

What we are presented with is a piece of fiction by Roché called "Victor," which is basically a memoir with the names changed to protect the guilty.  The book never was completed, and it doesn't really hold up as literature, but it is a fascinating document of a time, a place, and ground zero for one of the greatest things that happen in contemporary art.  Which was in two words: Marcel.  Duchamp.   Roché captures 'Victor' (Duchamp) at the peak of his iconic powers.  He pretty much documents Duchamp's work habits as well as love life of sorts.  The thing about Duchamp is that he is always a man of mystery.  Very visible yet invisible.  He was Warhol-like of his time that he could be in the public's and friend's eyes, but remains on an island that is truly Duchampville.   Before the novel starts the editors gave a glossary of who is who in the novel.  Which of course is fascinating.

The mighty trio at this time started up a zine style magazine called "The Blind Man," which focused on poetry, but a lot of it deals with the R. Mutt sculpture by Duchamp that was turned down by the festival that they helped put together.  Each artist can contribute a piece to the exhibition, but they must pay $6.  Duchamp did so under another name, but there was controversy over the urinal, because of all practices it was just that - a piece of plumbing.  Yet Duchamp chose this everyday instrument of release as an art object.  Bingo, an early, if not the first, conceptual piece in art.  There were two issues of "The Blind Man" and they are here in all of its glory.   Wonderful stuff.

What makes this book so unique is that I don't get the feeling that I am reading or seeing something from the past.  Even those this time period is almost 100 years ago, it seems like now.   Especially coming out of the Printed Matter Book Festival last week - the spirit of doing a magazine or a zine is still very much part of our psyche.   It's a beautiful thing and this book is a real wonder.   Also included is an excerpt from Beatrice's memoir "I Shock Myself" dealing with the period of time when they put together "The Blind Man" as well as her dealing with contemporary art, which to Beatrice Wood at the time, was really weird.  

Highly recommended title if you are a Duchamp fan, but beyond that, the spirit of the book is a complete turn-on.  Oh, and the production, and printing is superb.  Excellent work Atlas!