Provenance
Robert Pudlich, Düsseldorf. Sold by Hanover Gallery, London, to Lindy and Edwin Bergman, Chicago, 1959; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2018.
Accession Number
118682
Medium
Graphite with pen and black ink on tan wove paper
Dimensions
46.6 × 31.5 cm (18 3/8 × 12 7/16 in.)
Classification
graphite
Credit Line
Lindy and Edwin Bergman Collection
Background & Context
Background Story
Max Ernst's Self-Constructed Little Machine (1919/20) is a graphite drawing with pen and black ink on tan wove paper from the Dada period. This drawing shows a fantastical machine, combining mechanical elements with organic forms in a way that anticipates Ernst's surrealist works. The precise, almost technical drawing style contrasts with the absurdity of the subject.
Cultural Impact
Ernst's Dada period works are among the most inventive of the movement, combining technical precision with absurdist humor.
Why It Matters
This drawing of a self-constructed machine captures the Dada spirit of combining technical precision with absurdist fantasy.
