In August 1946, Marcel Duchamp spent five weeks in Switzerland, including five days at the Hotel Bellevue (today, Le Baron Tavernier) near Chexbres, on Lake Geneva. During his stay he discovered the Forestay waterfall.

No research was ever done as to why the artist chose this waterfall which became the starting point for, and ultimately the landscape of, his famous final masterpiece, Étant donnés: 1 la chute d’eau, 2 le gaz d’éclairage (Given: 1. The Waterfall, 2. The Illuminating Gas).

A multidisciplinary event that took place in May, 2010 in Cully, on Lake Geneva, near the Forestay waterfall, attempted to provide answers to this and many other questions about Duchamp’s work. This publication documents the event.

Included are special artistic contributions by Melanie Althaus, Ecke Bonk, Andreas Glauser, Peter Roesch, Roman Signer, Tadanori Yokoo, and many others.

Published with Association Kunsthalle Marcel Duchamp, Cully.