Duchamp bought this small glass ampoule from a Paris pharmacist as a souvenir for his friend and patron Walter C. Arensberg. In 1949, the vial was accidentally broken and repaired, which begs the question: Is the air even from Paris anymore?
For an infamous art-trickster, Marcel Duchamp wrote seriously about the nature of art and artists as 'mediumistic beings navigating a labyrinth beyond time and space.' Very worth a read.
