Marcel Duchamp

Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) was arguably the most radically avant-garde artist of the twentieth century. He was a true original, and while he did not produce an impressive number of masterpieces, his influence exceeds that of his more prolific contemporaries Picasso and Matisse. In 1918, Duchamp made the most momentous decision an artist can make: he stopped painting altogether. This did not mean, however, that he ceased all forms of artistic production; he spent the rest of his life exploring alternatives to traditional artistic practice in a relentless effort to avoid repeating himself. As a result, Duchamp pioneered new ways of thinking about art and the artistic process that have inspired generations of artists. This book, written by Dada scholar Francis M. Naumann, traces the course of Duchamp's life as an artist by concentrating on the elements of replication and appropriation that form a unifying factor in his creative output and establish his great contribution to the art of the twentieth century.

Marcel Duchamp had a lifelong fascination with the art of mechanical reproduction, finally culminating in his repeated attempts to publish the notes for his masterpiece The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (1915-23), better known as The Large Glass. His inventiveness as a graphic designer, his wit in appropriating readymade objects as works of art, and his ability to create unique masterpieces out of reproductions made from his earlier work are brilliantly revealed in this important and richly illustrated study of the least understood aspects of Duchamp's artistic achievements.