The Holy Bible: Old Testament
David Hammons
2002
The Holy Bible: Old Testament
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In this limited-edition artist’s book, David Hammons revisits Arturo Schwarz’s seminal catalogue raisonné, “The Complete Works of Marcel Duchamp”, by simply rebinding it to resemble a Bible. The result is an object that combines reverence ...
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The Holy Bible: Old Testament
David Hammons
2002
London: Hand/Eye Projects
974 pages
33 × 26 cm
Edition of 165; signed and numbered 145/165

In this limited-edition artist’s book, David Hammons revisits Arturo Schwarz’s seminal catalogue raisonné, “The Complete Works of Marcel Duchamp”, by simply rebinding it to resemble a Bible. The result is an object that combines reverence with irony. The intervention draws attention to the almost religious status Marcel Duchamp has acquired in postmodern art and questions the process of his canonization. The designation “Old Testament” adds a wry suggestion that new artistic revelations may yet follow.


 


Characteristic of Hammons’s practice, the work combines homage and critique through appropriation, alteration, and conceptual play. By transforming an existing book, Hammons raises questions about authorship and artistic authority. His name is absent from the cover and appears only as a signature, highlighting his interest in the logic of the readymade, as well as in the relationship between the copy and the original.

London: Hand/Eye Projects
974 pages
33 × 26 cm
Edition of 165; signed and numbered 145/165

In this limited-edition artist’s book, David Hammons revisits Arturo Schwarz’s seminal catalogue raisonné, “The Complete Works of Marcel Duchamp”, by simply rebinding it to resemble a Bible. The result is an object that combines reverence with irony. The intervention draws attention to the almost religious status Marcel Duchamp has acquired in postmodern art and questions the process of his canonization. The designation “Old Testament” adds a wry suggestion that new artistic revelations may yet follow.

 

Characteristic of Hammons’s practice, the work combines homage and critique through appropriation, alteration, and conceptual play. By transforming an existing book, Hammons raises questions about authorship and artistic authority. His name is absent from the cover and appears only as a signature, highlighting his interest in the logic of the readymade, as well as in the relationship between the copy and the original.

DESCRIPTION

In this limited-edition artist’s book, David Hammons revisits Arturo Schwarz’s seminal catalogue raisonné, “The Complete Works of Marcel Duchamp”, by simply rebinding it to resemble a Bible. The result is an object that combines reverence with irony. The intervention draws attention to the almost religious status Marcel Duchamp has acquired in postmodern art and questions the process of his canonization. The designation “Old Testament” adds a wry suggestion that new artistic revelations may yet follow.

 

Characteristic of Hammons’s practice, the work combines homage and critique through appropriation, alteration, and conceptual play. By transforming an existing book, Hammons raises questions about authorship and artistic authority. His name is absent from the cover and appears only as a signature, highlighting his interest in the logic of the readymade, as well as in the relationship between the copy and the original.

London: Hand/Eye Projects
974 pages
33 × 26 cm
Edition of 165; signed and numbered 145/165

In this limited-edition artist’s book, David Hammons revisits Arturo Schwarz’s seminal catalogue raisonné, “The Complete Works of Marcel Duchamp”, by simply rebinding it to resemble a Bible. The result is an object that combines reverence with irony. The intervention draws attention to the almost religious status Marcel Duchamp has acquired in postmodern art and questions the process of his canonization. The designation “Old Testament” adds a wry suggestion that new artistic revelations may yet follow.

 

Characteristic of Hammons’s practice, the work combines homage and critique through appropriation, alteration, and conceptual play. By transforming an existing book, Hammons raises questions about authorship and artistic authority. His name is absent from the cover and appears only as a signature, highlighting his interest in the logic of the readymade, as well as in the relationship between the copy and the original.

MORE BOOKS

In this limited-edition artist’s book, David Hammons revisits Arturo Schwarz’s seminal catalogue raisonné, “The Complete Works of Marcel Duchamp”, by simply rebinding it to resemble a Bible. The result is an object that combines reverence with irony. The intervention draws attention to the almost religious status Marcel Duchamp has acquired in postmodern art and questions the process of his canonization. The designation “Old Testament” adds a wry suggestion that new artistic revelations may yet follow.

 

Characteristic of Hammons’s practice, the work combines homage and critique through appropriation, alteration, and conceptual play. By transforming an existing book, Hammons raises questions about authorship and artistic authority. His name is absent from the cover and appears only as a signature, highlighting his interest in the logic of the readymade, as well as in the relationship between the copy and the original.

MORE BOOKS