Marcel Broodthaers. Untitled (General with Cigar). 1970

Marcel Broodthaers Untitled (General with Cigar) 1970

  • Not on view

Broodthaers bought a portrait of a Belgian general at a flea market then punctured the canvas and inserted a half-smoked cigar into the figure's mouth. This act of defacement demonstrates the artist's mockery of the traditions of painting, conventions already called into question by his treatment of the handmade oil painting as a ready-made object for inclusion in his own artwork. Broodthaers considered General with Cigar to be one of his most important works. It is also among his most overtly political: clothed in a military uniform and adorned with medals, badges, and insignias, the figure of the general is an embodiment of nationalism, an ideal undermined by the artist’s deadpan and slyly comical defacement.

Gallery label from 2012.
Medium
Found oil painting and cigar
Dimensions
15 3/4 x 11 13/16 x 2 3/4" (40 x 30 x 7 cm)
Credit
Partial gift of the Daled Collection and partial purchase through the generosity of Maja Oeri and Hans Bodenmann, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, Agnes Gund, Marlene Hess and James D. Zirin, Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis, and Jerry I. Speyer and Katherine G. Farley
Object number
613.2011
Department
Painting and Sculpture

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