Broken and Restored Multiplication 1919

Suzanne Duchamp made this intriguing painting, “Broken and Restored Multiplication,” using oil on canvas in France sometime during the early 20th century. The composition layers abstract geometric forms, lettering, and what appears to be an electrical pylon that pierces through a vague cityscape. What is the public role of this art? Perhaps this work is a comment on the social structures of its time, given that it was made during the rise of industry. Duchamp challenges existing social norms through her creation of an enigmatic scene. This challenges the institutional conventions of the time. We, as historians, can look more closely at the visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations that Duchamp weaves into this work. One might also want to look to the social conditions that shaped her artistic production, as a woman working in a male-dominated art world.