Marcel Duchamp

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Marcel Duchamp

Marcel Duchamp (28 July 1887 – 2 October 1968) was a French-American painter, sculptor, and chess player whose work is associated with Dada, Surrealism, and Conceptual art. Duchamp is commonly regarded, along with Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, as one of the three artists who helped to define the revolutionary developments in the plastic arts in the opening decades of the 20th century, responsible for significant developments in painting and sculpture.

Early Life and Education

Duchamp was born in Blainville-Crevon, in the Upper Normandy region of France, to a family with artistic inclinations. His brothers, Jacques Villon and Raymond Duchamp-Villon, and his sister, Suzanne Duchamp-Crotti, were also artists. Duchamp studied at the Académie Julian in Paris from 1904 to 1905.

Artistic Career

Duchamp's early works were Post-Impressionist in style. However, he soon became influenced by the Fauves and Cubists. His painting Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 (1912) caused a sensation at the Armory Show in New York City in 1913.

Dada Movement

Duchamp was a central figure in the Dada movement, which began in Zurich during World War I. Dada was characterized by its opposition to the norms of bourgeois culture and its embrace of absurdity and irrationality. Duchamp's most famous Dada work is Fountain (1917), a readymade sculpture consisting of a porcelain urinal signed "R. Mutt."

Surrealism and Later Works

In the 1920s, Duchamp became associated with the Surrealist movement. He created several important works during this period, including The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (The Large Glass) (1915-1923). Duchamp's later works often involved complex mechanical devices and optical illusions.

Chess and Later Life

Duchamp was an avid chess player and even competed in several high-level tournaments. He largely retired from art to devote himself to chess in the 1920s. Duchamp moved to the United States in 1942 and became a U.S. citizen in 1955. He continued to influence younger artists and remained active in the art world until his death in 1968.

Legacy

Marcel Duchamp's influence on modern and contemporary art is profound. His concept of the readymade challenged traditional notions of art and paved the way for movements such as Conceptual art and Minimalism. Duchamp's work continues to be studied and celebrated for its innovative and provocative nature.

Related Pages

• Dada
• Surrealism
• Conceptual art
• Readymade
• Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2
• Fountain (Duchamp)
• The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (The Large Glass)
• Armory Show
• Pablo Picasso
• Henri Matisse