Genius, anti-artist, charlatan, guru, imposter? Since 1914 Marcel Duchamp has been called all these. Arousing passion and controversy, he has exerted a great influence on art, whose very nature he challenged and redefined as concept rather than product by questioning its traditionally privileged optical nature. At the same time, he never ceased to be engaged, openly or secretly, in provocative and enigmatic activities and works which transformed traditional artmaking procedures. This monograph, written with the support of Duchamp's widow, challenges received ideas, misunderstanding and misinformation.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
The grandfather of postmodernism and a consummate trickster, Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) remains one of the most complicated characters in art history. In addition to an intellectually demanding oeuvre, he made public statements about his life and work that were often elusive, even contradictory. Journalist and historian Marquis (Alfred H. Barr, Jr.) sets out to present what she feels is a much-needed objective look at the artist, the man, and the conundrum. Though she doesn't attempt to discredit Duchamp or previous Duchamp scholarship, she doesn't take his Olympian stature at face value either. Even Duchamp enthusiasts who might bristle at statements like "Duchamp's art, like tripe, is an acquired taste" will likely thrill to the previously unpublished interviews, letters, and bits of gossip contained here. This alone makes the sure-to-be-controversial biography a noteworthy addition to Duchamp scholarship. The uninitiated may want to start with Calvin Tompkins's more admiring Duchamp: A Biography, but this work is recommended to anyone who wants to explore further. With color plates of major works and candid snapshots of the artist and his circle. In contrast to Marquis's fresh approach, the monograph Marcel Duchamp presents solid but typical essays on the master by Duchamp scholars. One of curator Szeeman's goals is to elucidate Duchampian ideas and their effect on other artists, specifically Jean Tinguely. The publisher hoped to have this supersede previous volumes by reproducing individual works in a larger scale and by including some more obscure artwork. But consequently every item is given more or less equal visual importance, which may cause confusion about the actual size of the original. Still, this handsome and fairly comprehensive volume would be useful to libraries that don't already own Anne D'Harnoncourt's Marcel Duchamp, the retrospective catalog by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Douglas McClemont, New York
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Douglas McClemont, New York
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Language Notes
Text: English, Italian (translation)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great buy,
By jenso (berkeley) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Marcel Duchamp (Hardcover)
One of the most enjoyable art books I ever encountered. The writings of Duchamp are delightful, surprisingly so, considering the seemingly complex work. Filled all the gaps and questions I had about this remarkable important, but underrepresented artist.
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Art of Marcel Duchamp Intellectually Explained,
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This review is from: Marcel Duchamp (Paperback)
The book "Marcel Duchamp" does a very good job of covering the highlights of the career of one of the most influential modern artists of the twentieth century. What would the art world be like without Duchamp's "Fountain," that urinal he signed, suggesting it was then a work of art - not necessarily good art, but art of some sort? Anyway, the book's narrative is intellectually dense, which is good for some folks, but I like prose that is little more relaxed, witty and magazine-like, though it reads a lot like what one would find within the pages of say,"ARTnews." Nevertheless, this is no dry text book. There's plenty of engaging prose to wet the brushes of art enthusiasts, particularly those interested in the early decades of the 1900s, when modern artists were trying to establish the boundaries of Futurism, Cubism, Surrealism and any other art movement coming to pass. Be that as it may, there's very little about Duchamp's personal life in this book, but that's what biographies are for. "Marcel Duchamp" (Couldn't they think of a more imaginative title?) is definitely a good art book but certainly not a great one.
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