Genius, anti-artist, charlatan, guru, impostor? Since he arrived on the
scene in 1914, Marcel Duchamp has been called all of these. Almost no
other artist of the twentieth century has inspired more passion and
controversy, nor exerted a greater influence on art. At the same time,
Duchamp continually challenged the very nature of art and strove to
redefine it as conceptual rather than as product by questioning why the
medium was mostly a retinal experience.
Always the provocateur, Duchamp never ceased to be engaged, openly or
secretly, in activities and works that transformed traditional
artmaking. Through his works like Fountain; Bicycle Wheel; L.H.O.O.Q.;
and Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, Duchamp played with the idea
of what art can be, opening new possibilities for future generations.
This revised entry in the World of Art series, written by three leading
experts on twentieth-century art, and published with support of
Duchamp's widow, is one of the most original books written on this
enigmatic artist. Featuring a new chapter and preface, as well as
updates throughout from specialist scholars who are active in their
fields, this is the definitive introduction to Duchamp. Thoroughly
illustrated, this volume combines thirty years of research by the
authors and challenges history's presumptions, misunderstandings, and
pieces of misinformation about Marcel Duchamp and his legacy.
