The artwork, titled “50 cc of Paris Air,” was created by Marcel Duchamp in 1919. It is a ready-made installation, associated with the Dada art movement, and is currently held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
The artwork consists of a delicate, transparent glass ampoule, which purportedly contains 50 cubic centimeters of air from Paris. The ampoule is sealed and suspends from a thin wire, exemplifying Duchamp’s signature challenge to traditional definitions of art. The surface of the glass is inscribed with handwritten text, adding a personal touch to this otherwise minimalist piece. Through this conceptual approach, Duchamp invites viewers to reconsider the commonplace, turning an ordinary object into a vessel of cultural and artistic significance. The artwork stands as a testament to the Dada movement’s emphasis on irony, chance, and the questioning of artistic norms.
