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Francis M. Naumann reveals his newest exhibition, a collection of more than 100 vagina inspired pieces, in the January 2010 issue of ARTnews magazine.   "The Visible Vagina" opens December 20 at Francis M. Naumann Fine Art in uptown New York, and December 14 at David Nolan in Chelsea, concluding March 13.  The exhibition includes works from Allyson Mitchell, Henri Maccheroni, and Gustav Courbet, among other talents.

The transition from an exhibit on Marcel Duchamp's preoccupation with chess to the vagina evidently isn't as far a stretch as you might think.  For Naumann it's a totally logical progression. In his words, "they are at opposite ends of the spectrum and, as it turns out, opposite ends of the body, but I see a connection, through Duchamp"

Naumann's inspiration for this exhibit began in 1969 when the Philadelphia Museum of Art installed Duchamp's Étant donnés. Naumann, realizing this inspired vision forty years later, is still captivated by the forethought and planning involved in Duchamp's works, especially his last major piece. As Naumann says "the most sophisticated chess player has a plan that his opponent hasn't figured out,  Étant donnés allows Duchamp to keep playing the art game even after he's dead".

From viewing a woman with her face hidden and legs spread 40 years ago, to co-authoring a book about Duchamp, to playing chess with Yoko Ono on her all white chess board, to walking through a cavernous vagina made of carpet and yarn... Naumann keeps us guessing.  It all leads back to Duchamp.  Pick up a copy of ARTnews to read more about the amazing connection between Duchamp, Vaginas, and Francis M. Naumann.  What will he think of (or reveal) next?