70. 70AR MARCEL BROODTHAERS (1924-1976) The Black Flag, unlimited edition, 1968 Stamped plastic plate painted in acrylic in black and red Plate published by the artist Of the fifty copies planned, only thirty or so saw the light of day This is the first version, produced in June 1968 (out of three) Presented in a black wooden frame 84 × 120 cm Stamped plastic plate painted in black and red acrylic, plate published by the artist, this is the first version, produced in June 1968 (out of three) In all, Marcel Broodthaers used the thermoforming technique for 36 subjects, often in several variants. We would like to thank Mrs Broodthaers for confirming the authenticity of this work and for the information she provided. Provenance Private collection, Paris Purchased from Pierre Restany's assistant in 2000 by the current owner In the autumn of 1968, a small number of examples were presented at the exhibition La Collection privée de Marcel Broodthaers at Galerie 44. "Composed of a black flag interrupted by a white line and an oversized red exclamation mark with the words "unlimited edition", the plaque also bears the names of seven cities - Amsterdam, Berlin, Nanterre, Venice, Paris, Milan and Brussels - all of which were the scene of major uprisings during the protest movements of 1968. When associated with the names of these cities, the black flag can be read as both an explicit reference to the anarchist movements, of which it has been the symbol since the end of the 19th century, and to its recuperation by the 1968 student movement. Like the slogans that flourished on the walls at the time, "unlimited print run" is an injunction to do away with what makes a work of art unique. In an interview in 1968, the artist declared: "I don't believe [...] in the unique artist or the unique work. I believe in phenomena and people who bring ideas together". Unlike some plates, which he limited to an edition of seven, Broodthaers made this an unlimited edition, giving it the status of a manifesto. However, the 'pop' character of this work, like the other plaques - palette of primary colours, use of industrial plastic, playful rebus-like construction - belies the militant potential of the content, and underlines Broodthaers' scepticism about the utopia of a radical reformulation of social and artistic norms" (G. Penone, Musée cantonal des beaux-arts Lausanne). Label from the exhibition Industrial Poems, Marcel Broodthaers, Brussels, WIELS, 2021-2022 (catalogue, no. 3.a.- WOAgri, p. 234.) "I thought that plastic would free me from the past, when in fact this material did not exist. I liked this idea so much that I forgot that the material had already been 'ennobled' by its appearance on gallery and museum walls under the signatures of the New Realists and the American Pop artists. What interested me was the warping that the material brought to the representation" (Marcel Broodthaers, Interview with Irmeline Lebeer, in JEU DE PAUME, p. 248). "I thought using plastic as a material would free me from the past, since this material didn't exist then. I was so taken with the idea that I forgot that plastic had already been ennobled' by its appea-rance on the walls of galleries and museums under the signature of the Nouveaux Réalistes and American Pop. What interested me was the warping of representation when executed in this material (quoted from WIELS)."