The unexpected happened over the weekend. Apparantly a janitor mistook Duchamp’s ‘R. Mutt’ signature for an act of vandalism and erased it from the ready(re)made. The article doesn’t go into when or how much the woman will be charged but they should make an announcement soon.
Miss Tint makes front page of NYTimes Art Section March 10, 2008
Over the weekend additions March 3, 2008
the writing on the stall from 3 wonderful museums and one derelict restaurant this weekend. fantastic additions to the permanent collection of these amazing institutions.
Introductary Letter February 25, 2008
Dear Museum and/or Gallery,
Through the generous philanthropy of the Miss Tint Organization, your establishment has recently acquired a new work of art. Marcel DuChamp’s ‘the fountain’ signed under his alias, R. Mutt, is now a part of your permanent collection.
This work of art, which was previously appraised by the French courts at 3.4 million, is a complimentary gift to you. However, the value of your ready(re)made may vary and possibly be significantly less. Numerous factors play into this assessment, but the primary issue is that the donation is not an original.
Due to the fortunate collaboration the Miss Tint Organization had with noteworthy, covert, and prolific artists, an extremely high volume of ready(re)mades were delivered. This collaboration was industrious to such an extent that every Gallery and Museum in the greater metropolitan of New York (as well as Brooklyn dive bars) has received the same gift, as well as this same notification. Nonetheless, the value of the ready(re)mades could be unaffected by this latest admission since the ‘original’ piece was lost after the Independent Arts Show of 1917 and subsequent versions were merely reproductions of DuChamp’s concept.
In closing we hope you take all the precautions to make your newest acquisition accessible for pedagogy, inspiration, and utility by your patrons. It is a considerable acquisition to your inventory and a pivotal piece in the historical context of art. Lastly, make sure it doesn’t receive too firm of a janitorial scrubbing by your staff.
Sincerely,
Miss Tint Org.
This letter was mailed with an affixed image of all the r. mutt readymades. It was sent to the following museums…
New Museum
Whitney Museum
Lower East Side Tenement Museum
Museum of Moderen Art
Jewish Museum
Independent Center of Photography
Solomon R. Guggenheim
Frick Collection
Dia:Beacon
Cooper-Hewitt
The Brooklyn Museum of Art
Bronx Museum of the Arts
Amer. Mus. of the Moving Image
American Museum of Natural History
American Folk Art Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art
El Museo del Barrio
Museum of Jewish Heritage
Museum of Modern Art
Mus. of the City of New York
Museum of TV and Radio
PS1 Contemporary Art
