When the distinguished collectors of early modern artLouise and Walter Arensberg bought Giorgio de Chirico'spainting The Soothsayer's Recompense in 1932 on the adviceof their friend Marcel Duchamp．it entered a collection ofworks of art already celebrated for their visual and intellectual challenge to viewers．Analvtical Cubism．Dada andSurrealism，the intricate visual architecture of Paul K1ee'spaintings，and the enigmatic output of Duchamp himselfwere sources of endless fascination for the Arensbergs，who relished the game of deciphering puzzles and crackingvisual codes．ThP Soothsayer’S Recompense came tO thePhiladelphia Museum ofArt in 1950 as part of the couple'sextraordinary gift of their entire collection to this institution．