10-09-2024, 03:29 PM
As from 1965, Broodthaers made a series of assemblages using eggshells, mussel shells, bottles and bags of chips. In ‘Grand Casserole de Moules’ he combined crucial contrasts that he exploited throughout his oeuvre, such as nature v. culture, the ordinary v. art, functionality v. aesthetics, concrete things v. their meaning, and form v. content. In the case of this pot of mussels, Broodthaers spread confusion between ‘la moule’ (mussel) and ‘le moule’ (mould), which led to a wordplay that opened up a wide range of new possible meanings. For instance, the pot of mussels symbolises Belgium and its national culinary culture. It is no coincidence that ‘casserole’ is also French for ‘prostitute’ and in this case the mussel also refers to the female sex. Broodthaers considered the mussel to be independent, existing in its own shell, not allowing itself to be shaped in accordance with the whims of society, and in this sense it is perfect. The price for the pot was 250 000 euro.
