Monte Carlo Bond (No. 12) is a highly conceptual drawing created by Marcel Duchamp in 1924. This complex piece challenges traditional artistic boundaries, utilizing cut-and-pasted gelatin silver prints affixed to a lithograph background, which incorporates specific letterpress text typical of financial instruments. Classified formally as a drawing, the work is perhaps better understood as a piece of conceptual documentation or a manufactured document. This project exemplifies Duchamp’s significant shift away from traditional painting toward works that interrogate systems of value, identity, and chance during his influential period in the 1920s.
Duchamp produced a limited edition of thirty of these bonds, sold primarily to investors to fund a real-life scheme intended to bankrupt the Monte Carlo Casino through systematic roulette play. This artistic-financial endeavor reflects the artist’s characteristic wit and his fascination with commercial structures. The lithograph element provides the structural framework of a legal or financial certificate, while the affixed gelatin silver prints introduce photographic realism. These photographic elements often feature Duchamp’s self-portrait or elements referencing his female alter ego, Rrose Sélavy, emphasizing the fusion of personal identity with capitalist critique. Each of the unique Monte Carlo Bond pieces served simultaneously as a collectible artwork and a share certificate in his elaborate, satirical enterprise.
Though created by a French-born artist, the piece is categorized within American culture, reflecting the enormous influence Duchamp had on avant-garde movements in the United States throughout the period culminating in 1924. This early conceptual approach paved the way for future art practices, embedding critical commentary on mass media and commercialization directly into the production of fine art. The original Monte Carlo Bond (No. 12) currently resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Although the original bond is unique, the proliferation of Duchamp’s conceptual work means that related documentation and high-quality prints often enter the public domain, ensuring widespread study of this seminal project.
Important: ArtBee makes no warranties about the copyright status of this artwork. To the best of our knowledge, based on information from the source museum, we believe this work is in the public domain.
You are responsible for determining the rights status and securing any permissions needed for your use. Copyright status may vary by jurisdiction. See our License & Usage page and Terms of Service for details.