The Broodthaers Society of America invites you to a second open house on Sunday, April 3rd, from 1:00-4:00pm. Like our first open house, this one will be an opportunity to visit our Reading Room, our MBnb residence, and meet fellow fans and scholars of Marcel Broodthaers. In that sense it will be a copy of the first open house—in other words, a facsimile. 

In the spirit of facsimile, this open house will feature our collection of Marcel Broodthaers facsimiles, both those produced by him—Broodthaers was an avid copier of his own work—and those produced by Maria Gilissen, his widow and the executer of his estate, in collaboration with numerous commercial galleries and museums. Please join us and have a chance to peruse these items of interest and others: 

My Ogre Book, Shadow Theatre, Midnight

This book pairs Broodthaers’ first two collections of poetry, My Ogre Book (1957) and Midnight (1960)—previously unpublished in English—with a print version of Broodthaers’ single carousel slide projection, Shadow Theatre (1973-74). Translated by poet Elizabeth Zuba in collaboration with Mme. Gilissen and published by Siglio press in 2016.

La Bête Noire (The Black Beast)

Broodthaers’ third poetry book, originally published in 1961, uses the animals that inhabit fables, the Zodiac, and the Chinese calendar as meditations on character, identity, and myth. We have a copy of the original published by Broodthaers with etchings by Jan Sanders, as well as the facsimile published by Edition de Cygne in 2004.

I wash my hands of it / Ich wasche meine Hände in Unschuld

This large-format book features an untitled, unpublished poem by Broodthaers from 1962-63 that was inspired by the Stations of the Cross. The Broodthaers Estate first published the poem as Je m’en lave les mains in 1982, taking the liberty of titling the work as the first line of the poem. Mary Boone and Michael Werner teamed up to publish this English/German version in 1984. 

THE CONQUEST OF SPACE, Atlas for the Use of Artists and the Military

Measuring just 4 x 3 cm, (1 5/8 x 1 1/8") with a simple black slipcase and clear plastic dust jacket, Broodthaer’s “Atlas” is a miniature book made on the model of the fifteenth-century incunable. Just like the original edition, this new version has been produced in standard and deluxe versions under the watchful eye of David Platzker, Curator in the Department of Prints and Illustrated Books at MoMA. We have both. In other words, we have both copies of the copy of the original. 

The Broodthaers Society of America is a meeting point for artists, critics, fans, and scholars dedicated to fostering an expanded interpretation of the late, great Belgian artist in the context of America. BSA is located uptown at 520 West 143rd Street in Harlem, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. The nearest subway stops are the 1 at Broadway/145th Street and the A/B/C/D at 145th Street/Saint Nicholas.

For more information please contact us at member@broodthaers.us, follow us on Twitter @broodthaers, or find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/broodthaers.us.

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