Louisville, Kentucky - The Speed Art Museum is excited to present to Louisville an exhibition of Marcel Duchamp: Marcel, Marcel. On exhibition 13 November through 17 February, 2008.

Perhaps no artist of the twentieth century has aroused more passion and controversy, nor exerted a greater influence on art than Marcel Duchamp. Born 1887 in Blainville, France, Duchamp came to the public’s attention with his painting Nude Descending a Staircase No.2, which caused a furor when it was exhibited at New York City's famous Armory Show in 1913. However, the Duchamp that resonates more in the popular imagination is the pioneer of kinetic art and ready-mades, such as the bottle drying rack and the urinal and whose works seem to run against conventional ideas of what art might be. This is the Duchamp who redefined art as concept rather than product and whose ideas have fueled artistic movements and debates to the present day.

Boîte-en-valise (box in a suitcase) is a work that contains small replicas of Marcel Duchamp’s art. Published by the artist in seven editions between 1941 and his death in 1968 it reproduces the paintings and objects Duchamp liked. Collecting them in as small a space as possible, its numerous parts slide, unfold, and lift out for display creating a miniature traveling museum. The exhibition Marcel, Marcel presents two copies of Duchamp’s Boîte —series B from 1941 and Series F from 1966—together in the same room. While this is an occasion to view the work of this celebrated artist first hand, Marcel, Marcel is also an exhibition that offers the viewer an opportunity to engage with Duchamp’s ideas through books and videos about the artist and his effect upon art.

The Speed Art Museum is located at 2035 South Third Street in Louisville. Other features of the museum include a hands-on Art Learning Center for families, a café and gift shop. Gallery hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Thursday 10:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; and Sunday 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays. For general information, call (502) 634-2700 or visit www.speedmuseum.org .