Skip to product information
1 of 1

Thierry de Duve

Duchamp's Telegram: From Beaux-Arts to Art-in-General

Duchamp's Telegram: From Beaux-Arts to Art-in-General

💎 Earn 156 Points (£1.56) on this item.

Low Stock: Only 2 copies remaining
Regular price £31.23 GBP
Regular price £32.00 GBP Sale price £31.23 GBP
Sale Sold out
Taxes included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

YOU SAVE £0.77

  • Condition: Brand new
  • UK Delivery times: Usually arrives within 2 - 3 working days
  • UK Shipping: Fee starts at £2.39. Subject to product weight & dimension

Bulk ordering. Want 15 or more copies? Get a personalised quote and bigger discounts. Learn more about bulk orders.

  • More about Duchamp's Telegram: From Beaux-Arts to Art-in-General


Marcel Duchamp's 1917 telegram, signed R. Mutt, was celebrated and vilified as proclaiming that anything could be art, reconfiguring the Western art world as post-Duchamp. This book offers a new reading of the telegram, correcting historical mistakes and revealing that Duchamp's urinal heralded the demise of the fine arts system and the advent of the Art-in-General system, which dates from the 1880s. Duchamp was not its author or agent but its brilliant messenger.

Format: Hardback
Length: 456 pages
Publication date: 01 June 2023
Publisher: Reaktion Books


Marcel Duchamp's 1917 telegram, disguised as a urinal signed R. Mutt, caused controversy upon its arrival at its destination forty years later. It was celebrated and vilified for proclaiming that anything could be art, leading to a reconfiguration of the Western art world as post-Duchamp. This book offers a new reading of Duchamp's telegram, correcting historical mistakes and revealing that his urinal signaled the demise of the fine arts system and the emergence of the Art-in-General system, which Thierry de Duve calls the Art-in-General system. The author demonstrates that this new system dates back to the 1880s, not the 1960s, and that Duchamp was not its author or agent but rather its brilliant messenger.


Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789146981

UK and International shipping information

UK Delivery and returns information:

  • Delivery within 2 - 3 days when ordering in the UK.
  • Shipping fee for UK customers from £2.39. Fully tracked shipping service available.
  • Returns policy: Return within 30 days of receipt for full refund.

International deliveries:

Shulph Ink now ships to Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, India, Luxembourg Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Netherlands, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, United States of America.

  • Delivery times: within 5 - 10 days for international orders.
  • Shipping fee: charges vary for overseas orders. Only tracked services are available for most international orders. Some countries have untracked shipping options.
  • Customs charges: If ordering to addresses outside the United Kingdom, you may or may not incur additional customs and duties fees during local delivery.
View full details