O el castillo de la pureza.

Mexico City: Ediciones ERA,, 1968. Duchamp is surely Paz's artist because he is such a verbal artist - a poet's artist First edition, first printing, uncommon complete and in such fresh condition. This portfolio comprises seven items, including the first appearance of Paz's essay O el castillo de la pureza, published separately in English in 1970, and a colour transparency reproduction of Duchamp's The Large Glass. In his essay, Paz examines Duchamp's The Large Glass while dwelling on the problems he sees in modern art. "Duchamp is surely Paz's artist because he is such a verbal artist - a poet's artist. What Duchamp sees, as Paz states it, is 'invisible reality'. Paz's ability to understand contemporary art stems from his cultural-historical studies in Mexican society. His credentials for interpreting Duchamp are perhaps more appropriate than those of an art historian, since Paz is adept at interpreting the role of the artist within a society, rather than the role of the artist as simply art-maker" (Robinson). Produced in the same spirit as Duchamp's Boite en Valise, this portfolio offers reproductions of his famous readymades, further blurring the distinction between original artworks and copies. Tall quarto. Original green cloth chemise, spine and front cover lettered in black, containing seven items, complete as issued: 1) Marcel Duchamp o el Castello de la Pureza (62 pp., oblong octavo, original green cloth lettered in black, checkered endpapers, illustrated with 4 black and white plates and 8 colour plates, all tipped-in); 2) Marcel Duchamp - Textos (69 pp., oblong octavo, original black and white photographic wrappers lettered in white, illustrated in black and white); 3) "El Gran Vidrio", a colour transparency of The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors, Even, in a printed cardboard enclosure (303 x 200 mm); 4) Colour reproductions of each of the three versions of Nude Descending a Staircase (282 x 167; 283 x 174; 162 x 183 mm); 5) 9 colour postcard reproductions of various readymades, printed on heavy stock, in a checkered paper envelope (125 x 185 mm); 6) "Album Fotografico", (10 pp. 303 x 200 mm), original printed wrappers; 7) a white cardboard stand-up of Duchamp printed in blue ink (240 x 170 mm). Housed in original green cloth slipcase, black and white checkered paper sides lettered in black and white. Text in Spanish. Contents fresh, occasionally a little toned, edges of Nude Descending slightly rubbed; paper on slipcase lightly toned with a little rubbing: in near-fine condition. John Robinson, "Marcel Duchamp, Appearance Stripped Bare", Artforum, vol. 17, no. 6, Feb. 1979.