Multiples

DEFINITION

Three-dimensional artwork produced in quantity by industrial or serigraphic processes. Copies or reproductions have a long tradition for two-dimensional works, but in 1955, artists Yaacov Agam and Jean Tinguely suggested them for three dimensionals to a Parisien art dealer, Denise Rene. Four years later, Editions M.A.T. was formed in Paris, and this company produced multiples of one-hundreds for sculptors including Tinguely, Man Ray, Alexander Calder and Marcel Duchamp. From that time, Multiples have been popular for collectors. As opposed to being valued for their uniqueness, Multiples are valued by their conveyance of the visual image. Source: Robert Atkins, "Art Speak"; "Phaidon Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Art"