Marcel Broodthaers Explained

Introduction: Scandal versus Masterpiece

A black cooking pot filled with empty mussels shells lifts the lid twice the height of its designated location. White sauce covers some of the shells and runs untidy outside the cooking pot. If I tell you this piece is an artwork, one would not be surprised to encounter some indignant reactions. And, if I tell you this is one of the most iconic masterpieces of the second half of the 20th century… Well, you can guess what’s coming.

The outrage and commotion would probably rise exponentially. If not, the realized price tag of this artwork of 358.000 USD will probably do the rest. At one side of the crowd, we hear people shouting ‘scandal!’, ‘a disgrace!’, or a prank!’, and probably much worse things too. On the other side, we hear ‘genius,’ ‘exceptional,’ ‘extraordinary,’ and ‘a masterpiece.’

It is clear that both sets of crowds look at this artwork with a different pair of eyes and a different frame of reference. But without tumbling into the never-ending non-debate of ‘what is art?’, let’s answer a more pertinent question regarding Marcel Broodthaers and his iconic pots of mussels, what is it about? How did he arrive at these sensational sculptures, what do they mean, and how can one approach them?

The Story of Marcel Broodthaers: A Unique Road to Artistry

Marcel Broodthaers – born in 1924 in Brussels, Belgium – was a poet before becoming an artist. One might say he was a starving poet, failing to sell his sincerest poetry. As a result, in 1963, Broodthaers decided to become an artist. He felt as if he failed severely, unable to sell anything and ‘succeed’ in life. The almost 40-year-old Belgian poet was living in poverty, and something needed to change.

Broodthaers said: “Finally, the idea of inventing something insincere crossed my mind, and I set to work straight away.” Symbolically, he embedded his 50 unsold copies of his book of sincere poems titled Pense-Bête in plaster, creating his first sculpture as an artist, already filled with his ubiquitous tension and balance of humor and criticism. Criticism towards himself as an unsuccessful 40-year-old. But also criticism and arguably a lingering frustration towards society and the cultural world for his unanswered efforts as a poet.

Due to his unique road to artistry, the Belgian artist was a highly literate man with a critical and refreshing approach to visual art. He was also a journalist and a filmmaker, which would be integrated into his works. From 1963 until his untimely death in 1976, Marcel Broodthaers would create an utterly impressive oeuvre spanning just over a decade of work, leaving an inedible mark on contemporary art history, becoming one of the undoubted most important contemporary artists of his time. As a result, retrospectives have been held at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR) in Brussels, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and the Museum for Contemporary Art (M HKA) in Antwerp.

His oeuvre is marked by the use of found objects (think of furniture, tools, clothing, and the shells of eggs and mussels), collage, written language, and larger-scale installations. Besides his cooking pots with mussels (cf. infra), one of his most famous works is his own museum of modern art which he opened in his house in Brussels in 1968. A concept that would travel the world, questioning and criticizing the institutional ideologies and illegitimate classifications of value in art. As a (former) poet, Broodthaers uses literal stylistics such as satire, hyperboles, and contrapositions, for institutional or social critique and art criticism as a self-conscious artist producing self-conscious artworks, questioning themselves and the context in which they originate.

How to Look at the Works of Marcel Broodthaers

In the historical tradition of Conceptual Art, Broodthaers made ready-made sculptures, and – as a highly literate person – used language as a structural element for meaning. This part is essential to approach, interpret and understand his works. A play of words or intentional puns approaches contrasts or opposites, which are crucial to contemporary art in the 1960s and 70s.

For instance, the thing versus its meaning, the word versus the object it presents. This becomes clear with his iconic assemblages using egg shells or mussel shells, as is the case with this specific artwork: Moules Sauce Blanche (Mussels White Sauce) from 1967.

Broodthaers combines several contrasts with this work. Think of nature versus culture, the ordinary versus art, functionality versus unexpected aesthetics, or form versus content. Before diving into these differences, the most critical play of words from which this frequent use of egg and mussel shells originates is the confusion Broodthaers creates when it comes to the word mussel. In French, ‘la moule’ means ‘the mussel,’ and ‘le moule’ means ‘the mold.’ Intentionally, the Belgian artist does not specify in his titles if we need to approach the word as ‘le’ or ‘la’ moule, meaning there is confusion if we need to read the mussel as what it is, a mussel or as what the words allude to, a mold.

This play of words opens up many analogies and possible meanings. First and foremost, ‘the mold’ refers to sculpture, thus referring to its own medium as a sculpture of found objects. The mussels become not only the mold but also the final sculpture. Further, the sculpture relates to the complicated national identity of Belgium, presenting its national dish as a symbol for the nation – think of his other works implementing the Belgian tricolor. Or, the mussel can also refer to the female sex. In French, the cooking pot or ‘Casserole’ also means ‘prostitute.’ Which opens even more combinations when it comes to possible meanings. So, is an artwork a plethora of valuable meanings, or is it, as Broodthaers implicitly suggests an empty shell?

“He considered the mussel to be indecent, 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.” (S.M.A.K. Ghent)

It is clear to say one can find the essential characteristics of Conceptual Art in Broodthaers’ oeuvre. The idea of the artwork is the most important and contains more value than the actual physical object. Here lies the explanation for the great divide between people who shout ‘scandal’ and those who would call it ‘masterpiece.’ It is not about the actual cooking pot and mussels, although those objects have a certain poetic and surrealist aesthetic quality. The cooking pot with mussels is merely a vehicular medium, transporting Broodthaers’ idea and concept of the ‘Moule’ as a metaphor or symbolic construction.

Further, the use of found objects is quintessentially bound to Conceptual Art, but also Dadaïsm in the tradition of Marcel Duchamp. Besides being a conceptual artist, Broodthaers can be seen as Neo-Dadaïst and as a Surrealist. Think of strong connection with Piero Manzoni and René Magritte. Like Manzoni and Magritte, Duchamp is also marked by humor and wit, not always taking things seriously. Think of Marzoni’s Merda d’Artista, tinning and selling his excrements as a limited edition series of artworks, ridiculing the artist and the economic value of what the artist ‘produces’.

Similarly to Marzoni, Broodthaers questions this value of authorship and the artist’s signature. Throughout his career, Broodthaers has used his signature ‘M.B.’ as a cumulative motive. Think of his series of La Signature from 1976. Doing so, he criticizes the art establishment and the ideology of the signature as a classification of value, and thus of economic value, making a satire of the artist and his signature being the thing that creates the value of the artwork instead of the idea or the artwork itself.

It is no coincidence that his signature ‘M.B.’ on his found objects, such as this cooking pot with mussels, is presented similarly to Duchamp’s ‘R. Mutt’ on his infamous Fountain of 1917. Or in 1962, the aforementioned Piero Manzoni collaborated with Marcel Broodthaers by putting his signature on the body of Broodthaers, declaring him as an artwork made by Marzoni.

In a way, Broodthaers (and Marzoni) mock the art world. He mocks the museum with his own museum, teases his predecessors such as Marcel Duchamp, and mocks the art market and the notion of what defines the economic value of art objects, pushing the limits of these mechanisms. He also mocks himself in a subtle, sophisticated, and revolutionary manner. The ironic truth is satire and relevance made his signature even more valuable, being successful with the mechanisms he continuously undermines.

When it comes to his connection with Magritte, we need to approach Moules Sauce Blanche (Mussels White Sauce) in a similar semiotic and language-based manner as René Magritte’s Traison des Images (The Treachery of Images). As Magritte, Broodthaers juxtaposes objects with meaning by the manner of language. Instead of painting and Surrealism, Broodthaers’ weapons of choice are found objects and Conceptual Art. Regarding the aforementioned Broodthaers auction result for the artwork in question, the 358.000 USD realized price for Moules Sauce Blanche (Mussels White Sauce) evokes reactions such as ‘scandal’ and ‘turmoil’ by public opinion. However, when one puts this into perspective with Magritte’s 26.8 million USD auction record, other questions can also be raised.

And the truth is, this would make Marcel Broodthaers smile once more.

Last Updated on March 20, 2024