Manuscript Notes of Marcel Duchamp 1912-1920 from À l'Infinitif (La Boîte Blanche) (In the Infinitive [The White Box])

Manuscript Notes of Marcel Duchamp 1912-1920 from À l'Infinitif (La Boîte Blanche) (In the Infinitive [The White Box]) by Marcel Duchamp is a foundational conceptual artwork presented as a bound English translation of the artist's manuscript notes. This crucial volume documents the philosophical and technical genesis of Duchamp’s most significant projects. While the conceptual material was developed over the period 1912–20, during the height of Modernism, this specific edition was published in 1966, serving as a key reference for generations of artists and scholars.

Often referred to by its subtitle, The White Box, this collection does not contain standard illustrations but rather the verbal descriptions, calculations, and diagrams necessary to understand the complex machinery and internal logic of works like The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (The Large Glass). Duchamp intentionally elevated the status of the note and the diagram, arguing that the conceptual process was as significant, if not more so, than the finished physical object.

The notes reveal Duchamp's fascination with subjects ranging from unconventional uses of perspective to theories of chance and the fourth dimension. His unique application of technical and pseudo-scientific language redefined the limits of art, profoundly influencing the trajectory of conceptualism globally. As a defining figure in 20th-century culture, Duchamp fundamentally shaped the American avant-garde after his arrival in New York.

This specific manifestation, the bound English translation, acts as a functional artifact designed to decode the artist’s otherwise opaque systems. Documenting his intellectual journey from 1912–20, this seminal work, published in 1966, holds a significant place in art history and is part of the extensive collection at the Museum of Modern Art.