What the Butler Saw in Düsseldorf

The butler visited Diana und Actaeon – Der verbotene Blick auf die Nacktheit with a fellow butler and a maid.

He was thrilled to see Étant donnés[1] by Marcel Duchamp. And he did not realize it also looked like this[2]. He saw the famous metal doll sculpture[3] by Hans Bellmer and Bad Boy by Eric Fischl. He saw the most beautiful penis in post-war photography, yes he meant the Robert Mapplethorpe one[4].

He saw and liked photographs[5] of the Linley Sambourne collection, paintings by French figuratist Jean Rustin[6], paintings by Michael Kirkham[7], his first viewing of the fauvist Erich Heckel[8], Phryne[9] by French academic cult painter Jean-Léon Gérôme, waxworks by Belgian sculptor Berlinde De Bruyckere[10], and paintings by Roland Delcol[11].

The butler was also very much taken by Johannes Hüppi[12]; his first viewing of his fave John Currin[13]; his first real Félix Vallotton; and a Lisa Yuskavage[14]. But not that one.

Butler wants you to know that the works he pointed to are for reference only and may not correspond to the works at the exhibition. He also wants you to know that some of the links may be NSFW.

7 thoughts on “What the Butler Saw in Düsseldorf”

  2. jahsonic

    I just did not know it had been “uninstalled,” and truth be told, I felt it was a disappointment initially, but then got round to the idea of its double value.

  3. Pingback: Lucy, a hypothetical primate « Jahsonic

  4. lichanos

    Yaaaahh!!! I was dumbfounded when I saw that shot of Etant Donees uninstalled! How did they do that? If I go to Philly now, is there just a big hole in the wall where I have seen it? They moved it!? And seeing the back of it…that just destroys the whole point of it I think.

    I have posted about it, and I think it’s one of the great pieces of art in the world. I still recall the shock I got when I first saw it, pressed up against those two holes in the door to see what’s inside.
    [http://iamyouasheisme.wordpress.com/2005/04/20/duchamp-what-is-given/]

    Umm…whatz “The Butler..?”

  6. Pingback: What the Butler Saw « Jahsonic

  7. Pingback: Introducing Lisa Yuskavage « Jahsonic

Comments are closed.