Indiana University Indiana University IU

Browse the collection

Three Standard Stoppages

Three threads glued to three painted canvas strips, each mounted on a glass panel, along with three wood slats, two shaped along one edge to match the curves of the threads. The objects are stored in a wooden box and can be assembled in a variety of ways.

Three threads glued to three painted canvas strips, each mounted on a glass panel, along with three wood slats, two shaped along one edge to match the curves of the threads. The objects are stored in a wooden box and can be assembled in a variety of ways.

Artist Marcel Duchamp (French, 1887–1968)
Title Three Standard Stoppages (3 Stoppages Étalon)
Date 1964 edition (after 1913–14 original)
Medium Wood, glass, canvas, and and thread
Dimensions Overall (plate glass): 49 5/16 x 7 1/4 x 1/4 in. (125.3 x 18.4 x 0.6 cm)
Overall1 (croquet box): 51 x 11 1/8 x 9 in. (129.5 x 28.3 x 22.9 cm)
Overall2 (Wooden French curve 1): 47 1/16 x 2 3/8 in. (119.5 x 6 cm)
Overall3 (Wooden French curve 2): 43 3/16 x 2 7/16 in. (109.7 x 6.2 cm)
Overall4 (Wooden French curve 3): 42 13/16 x 2 1/2 in. (108.7 x 6.4 cm)
Weight (each plate glass): 11 lb. (5 kg)
Weight1: 21 lb. (9.5 kg)
Credit Line Partial gift of Mrs. William H. Conroy, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 71.37.2

Share this artwork!

About this Work

Three Standard Stoppages preserves Duchamp’s early experimentation with found objects, as well as the concept of chance. To create this work, Duchamp claimed to have dropped three one-meter-long threads onto three stretched canvases. He then cut the wooden rulers along the threads‘ curvilinear profiles, and adhered the canvases to glass rectangles. These objects are stored in a box resembling those in which croquet sets are stored, adding an element of absurdity to the work.


Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

Viewing Information
This artwork is currently on view.

 

Request this Image
The Eskenazi Museum of Art provides images of its collection, free of charge, upon request. This artwork is under copyright protection. You can request the image and it will be emailed to you when the request is complete.

Cite this Page
"Three Standard Stoppages | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=71.37.2