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With Hidden Noise

A ball of twine sandwiched between two square brass plates that are joined together by four long screws.

A ball of twine sandwiched between two square brass plates that are joined together by four long screws.

Artist Marcel Duchamp (French, 1887–1968)
Title With Hidden Noise (À Bruit Secret)
Date 1964 edition (after 1916 original)
Medium Brass plates, twine, and and bolts
Dimensions Overall: 4 1/2 x 5 1/8 x 5 1/8 in. (11.4 x 13 x 13 cm)
Credit Line Partial gift of Mrs. William H. Conroy, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 71.37.6

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About this Work

The title of this readymade refers to a rattling noise made by an unknown object hidden within the ball of twine. When Duchamp originally created this work in 1916 he asked his friend, the collector Walter Arensberg, to select the object. Because Duchamp never knew what object Arensberg chose, the work foreshadows the Surrealist interest in chance. This readymade also introduces the idea that a work of art can engage our sense of touch and hearing, as well as sight.


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.

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"With Hidden Noise | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=71.37.6