Marcel Duchamp
1834-1917
Marcel Duchamp was in a league all his own. He was modernist artist; painter, sculptor, and author, and was experimenting with various trends, such as Dadaism, Cubism.
His small but controversial output and thoughts have altered our definition of the work of art and exerted a strong influence on the development of 20th-century avant-garde art.
He was born July 28, 1887 in a Normandy, France. His two brothers an sister also devoted their lives to painting and sculpture. Duchamp began painting in 1902, and in 1904 he joined his older brothers in Paris.
He was experimenting with Fauvism, Cubism… Duchamp's work was brought to attention of American audiences. He decided to make New York his home and drew closer to the Dada movement. He became its leader in New York.
It was at that time that he decided not to paint any more. From then on he produced and exhibited commonplace objects as art. He called these works "readymades." They were chosen for their complete absence of aesthetic qualities, placed so that theirs usual significance disappeared under the new title and point of view and thought for that object.
Starting in 1923, Duchamp devoted an increasing amount of attention to playing chess. He pioneered innovative kinetic art. His pervasive influence was crucial to the development of Surrealism, Dada, and Pop Art. He died in Paris on October 1, 1968.
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