The Triumph of Mussels (Triomphe de Moules I [Moules Casserole])

Currently not on view

The Triumph of Mussels (Triomphe de Moules I [Moules Casserole])

1965

Marcel Broodthaers (Belgian, 1924–1976)

Created from the discarded shells of mussels, a culinary specialty of the artist's native Belgium, this assemblage equates cuisine with culture, wittily prodding viewers to question how a museum reveres strange objects from different nations. The French word for mussel, "moule," also means "mold," a punning allusion to the traditional sculptural techniques that Broodthaers rejected.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

The Triumph of Mussels (Triomphe de Moules I [Moules Casserole])

Date:

1965

Artist:

Marcel Broodthaers (Belgian, 1924–1976)

Medium:

Painted and enameled iron alloy; mussel shells with paint

Dimensions:

18 1/2 x 19 5/8 x 14 5/8 inches (47 x 49.8 x 37.1 cm) Weight: 27.7 lb. (12.56 kg)

Classification:

Sculpture

Credit Line:

Gift (by exchange) of Mr. and Mrs. R. Sturgis Ingersoll and Mrs. Herbert Cameron Morris, 1997

Accession Number:

1997-43-1

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Currently not on view