A Roll of the Dice: Symbolism in the Sackner Archive
Wed, 1 January, 2025 - Fri, 27 June, 2025
University of Iowa Libraries
,
Iowa
Mon, 13 October, 2025

In 1897, French Symbolist poet Stéphane Mallarmé revolutionized the world of graphic design with a single poem that forever changed the way we look at words. His work illustrated how text conveys meaning not only through words, but also as visual symbols that contain a deeper meaning. For over 125 years, artists and writers have continued to explore the mystery of Mallarmé’s poem “Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard” [A throw of the dice will never abolish chance]. This exhibition, curated by Rich Dana, features art, books, and ephemera from the Ruth and Marvin Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry that explore the immense influence of “Un coup de dés” since its publication.

  1. André Masson
    b. France, 1896–1987
    Selections from Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard (1961)
    Paris: Les Amateurs du Livre et de l’Estampe modernes
    Lithograph, edition of 102 copies

  2. Stéphane Mallarmé
    b. France, 1842–1898
    “Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard” Published in Cosmopolis magazine, May 1897 London, England

  3. Marcel Broodthaers
    b. Belgium, 1924–1976
    Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard: Image (1969)
    Offset printed, edition of 90

4 Michalis Pichler
b. Germany,
Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard (SCULPTURE)
Berlin: “greatest hits,” 2008
Edition of 90
Offset and laser gravure, perfect binding

5 Eric Zboya Canada

Vecteur: Un Coup Des Jamais N’Abolira Le Hasard (2010)
Calgary, No Press
Ink on paper, edition of 120

6 Ernest Fraenkel
b. Germany, 1905–?
Les Dessins Trans-conscients de Stéphane Mallarmé: à propos de la Typographie de Un Coup de Dés (1960)
Ink on paper

7.  Johanna Drucker
b. USA, 1952–
Heavy Breathing (1991) Vellum, lead, wood

8. Johanna Drucker
The Word Made Flesh (1989) Letterpress

  1. Brian Coffey (translator)
    Dice Thrown Never Will Annul Chance (1965) Dublin, Ireland: Dolmen Press

  2.   Daisy Aldan (translator)
    Un Coup de Dés Jamais N’Abolira Le Hasard (1956)
    New York: Tiber Press

11 Robert Greer Cohen (dissertation)
Mallarmé’s Un Coup de Dés: an exegesis (1949) New Haven, Connecticut: Yale French Studies, Yale University Press

12 Wolfram Eber (translator)
Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard / Ein Wurfelwurf (1980)
Munich, West Germany: D.P. Druck und Publikation

  1. Augusto de Campos
    b. Brazil, 1931–
    P.O.W.: expoems. No.7 (2012) Digital print

  2. Augusto de Campos Mallarmé (1974)
    Offset printed, first edition

  3. Jirí Hynek Kocman
    b. Czech Republic, 1947–
    Reduced E.A. Poe’s The Raven No. o99 (1984) Handmade paper, blind embossed

  4. Edgar Allan Poe (French translation by Emile Hennequin, ill. by Odilon Redon)
    Contes grotesques / par Edgar Poe (1882)
    Paris: P. Ollendorff, 2nd edition

    Mabbott Poe Collection [PS2604.F5 H45 1882], Special Collections and Archives, University of Iowa Libraries

  5. T. S. Eliot

    b. USA, 1888–1965

    From Poe to Valery (1948)

    New York: Harcourt, Brace

    x-Collection [PS2636 .E4], Special Collections and Archives, University of Iowa Libraries

  6.  Edgar Allan Poe (French translation by Stéphane Mallarmé ; ill. by Édouard Manet) The raven = Le corbeau : poem (1978 edition) New York: Pilgrim Press Corp.

  7. Nelson Howe “Fur Music”

    Source: Music of the Avant Garde. No.9 (1971) Offset printed, synthetic fur, includes two 33rpm vinyl records

  8. Jim Clinefelter b. USA, 1958–

    A Throw of the Snore Will Surge the Potatoes: John M. Bennett meets Stéphane Mallarmé (1998) Laser print on paper

  9. Poojana Prasanna
    b. India, 1998–
    UN COUP DE EH?? (2023) Photocopied zine

  10. D. J. Kime
    b. USA, 1993–

    The Loneliest Dice (2023) Laser print on paper, 2 copies

  11. Margaret Yapp b. USA, 1993–

    Green for Luck (2024)
    Rochester, Massachusetts: EastOver Press; on loan from Rich Dana

  12. Albert Dupont
    b. France, 1951–
    Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard / Désir- hasard-dés (1995–2000)
    Wooden box, folio, printed works, screen print on transparent polyester; edition of 41 copies SACKNER [N7433.4. D86 M23 1999]

  13.   John Furnival
    b. UK, 1933–2020 Hommage a Mallarmé (1993) Ink on paper

  14.  Tom Phillips
    b. UK, 1937–2022
    A Throw of Dice Will Never Do Away with Chance (2003)
    Acrylic cube

  15. Tom Phillip
    The Limits of My Language Are the Limits of My World (1999)
    Acrylic cube

     

  16. Mitsou Ronat
    b. France, 1946–1984
    Tibor Papp
    b. Hungary, 1936–2018
    Selections: Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard (1980)
    Offset printed folio, edition of 48 copies

     

  17. Reinhold Nasshan
    b. Germany, 1949–
    Würfelwurf: Fragmentarische Annäherung an Stéphan Mallarmé (Dice Roll: Fragmentary Approach to Stéphane Mallarmé) (1992) Letterpress

  18. sadé powell
    b. USA, 1993–

    wordtomydead (2023) Laser print on paper

  19. Emily McVarish b. USA, 1965– Was Here (2001) Letterpress

  20. Wendy Wischer
    b. USA, 1971–
    A Bend in the River (2006) Painted wood (1,000 letters, punctuation marks, and six fish)

  21. Astrid Furnival
    b. Germany, 1940– Un coup de dés (1987) Sweater, hand-knitted

  22. Astrid Furnivalb. Germany, 1940– John Furnival b. UK, 1933–2020
    Lady Midnight (1991) Collage mannequin

  23. John Giorno
    b. USA, 1936–2019
    Buddhas and Bodhisattvas Rainbow (1973) Silkscreen on paper

  24. Emily McVarish
    b. USA, 1965–
    Thick As Walls Line (1996) Mixed media

  25. Elisabetta Gut
    b. Italy, 1934–
    La Plume de Poete (1989) Assemblage

  26. Amanda Berenguer
    b. Uruguay, 1921–2010 Mar (1976)
    From Composicion de Lugar Silkscreen print

  27. Amanda Berenguer
    Luz (1976)
    From Composicion de Lugar Silkscreen print

     

  28. Mikhail Tarkhanov
    b. Ukraine 1888–1962 MIMITA (1914)
    Ink on paper

  29. Mikhail Tarkhanov AXAXAXA (1914) Ink on paper

  30. Michalis Pichler
    b. Germany, 1980–
    Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard (SCULPTURE)
    Berlin: “greatest hits,” 2008 Laser-etched plexiglass

    Hanging above in the gallery you will discover a three-dimensional approach to “Un coup de dés” created by Berlin artist Michalis Pichler. The piece is based on the Marcel Broodthaers 1969 blacked-out version of the poem, which is also on display in this exhibit. Pichler reiterates the visual aspect of Mallarmé’s typography by laser etching the text blocks into plexiglass panels, which invites the viewer to further explore the interaction of the positive and negative space.

  31. Lauren Coghlan
    b. USA
    Un coup de dés (2025) Vinyl

    Around the perimeter of the gallery is the entire English translation of Mallarmé’s “Un coup de dés.” Made by University of Iowa Libraries creative coordinator Lauren Coghlan, this installation piece features over 185 feet of black vinyl letters along with red circles that indicate the line breaks in the poem.

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