Marcel Duchamp

An essential and lavishly illustrated visual compendium on the epoch-shifting artist whose radical vision reshaped art--and the museum--forever

More than any other modern artist, Marcel Duchamp challenged and transformed the very definition of art. Published to accompany the first North American retrospective of his work in more than 50 years, the volume features the world's largest collection of Duchamp's work, bringing together such iconic works as Fountain and Nude Descending a Staircase for the first time in decades. Beautifully illustrated with more than 400 works spanning six decades--including painting, sculpture, readymades, film, photography and ephemera--and featuring a deeply researched chronology interwoven with archival and documentary material, Marcel Duchamp offers a new generation the first opportunity to experience the breadth of Duchamp's revolutionary and provocative work, strongly associated with the Surrealist and Dada movements. An expansive introduction by curators Ann Temkin, Michelle Kuo and Matthew Affron explores Duchamp's radical rethinking of art and the museum, transformation of authorship, innovative exhibition and installation displays, and lifelong dedication to changing the relationship between art and life. Revealing new dimensions of his conceptual brilliance, subversive wit and lasting impact on generations of artists, Marcel Duchamp is a rich visual compendium and an essential resource for anyone seeking to understand an artist who changed the course of modern art.
Although Marcel Duchamp (American, born France, 1887-1968) defied definition or association with any single movement, he is perhaps the most impactful artist of the modern era in Europe as well as in the United States. Despite his place as a central figure in numerous artistic groups in both countries--including Cubism, Dada and Surrealism--Duchamp resisted categorization, prioritizing creative individuality. Though he is primarily remembered as an artist, he was also a curator, conservator, art advisor, professional chess player, writer, inventor and celebrity.