Duchamp organized the first exhibition devoted to the imagery of chess in 1945 at Julien Levy Gallery. By the 1960's, Duchamp's collaborative art exhibitions raised money "to provide a greater degree of participation by U.S. chess masters in important national and international chess events" for the American Chess Foundation.
A benefit exhibition for the American Chess Foundation was held at Cordier & Ekstrom Gallery in 1966. Marcel Duchamp invited 32 artists --the same number of artists as there are chess pieces -- to create chess-themed artwork for the exhibition. Robert Motherwell, Picasso, Cocteau, Dali, Miro, Matisse, Rivers, Tanguy, Kline, Pollock, Rouault, Johns, Guston and DeKoonig were among the participants.
Andy Warhol captured a video portrait of Duchamp during the opening of the exhibition, saying he would film the him for The Screen Tests "provided [Marcel] could keep his mouth shut for thirty seconds". Warhol failed to RSVP to the event, much less send an artwork as Duchamp had invited him to. But on the night in question, he arrived at the gallery, camera in hand, and asked Duchamp to pose for a Screen Test. In the video, background noise from "Hommage a Caissa" can be heard.
It is assumed that the work in the Wallach-Stein Collection was associated with either "Hommage à Caïssa" or similar exhibition sales.
YOUTUBE SstOVFI2PSE A video of Marcel Duchamp was filmed by Andy Warhol during the opening.
1966 exhibition poster announcing "Hommage a Caissa", screenprint, Cordier & Ekstrom. Supporters included Mr. and Mrs. Cleveland Amory, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Guggenheim, Mrs. Peggy Guggenheim, Mr. and Mrs. John Gunther, and many others.
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