Marcel Duchamp in perspective

by Joseph Masheck

Best known for cheeky conceptual works—like his signed urinals ("R. Mutt") and his graffitioed Mona Lisa—Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968) was also an extraordinary painter and sculptor ( Nude Descending a Staircase ) who changed the language of twentieth-century art and reigns with Picasso and Matisse as one of its greatest influences. Joseph Masheck has compiled a sampler of the best writing on Duchamp, with pieces that include Duchamp's obituary from Artforum , written by Jasper Johns; Octavio Paz on the ready-mades; a Duchamp post-mortem by Hans Richter; Donald Judd's investigation of Rrose Sélavy; a "Counter-Avant-Garde" by Clement Greenberg; a consideration by Guillaume Apollinaire; and John Cage's "26 Statements on Marcel Duchamp." Illustrated with photographs of Duchamp's seminal pieces, and updated with a substantial preface that offers new scholarship as well as a fascinating consideration of why Duchamp's popularity has exponentially increased since this book first appeared, this is an essential volume for the Duchamp devotee.

Genres: Art

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Abe Something]

At some point this collection of written bits on Duchamp becomes intellectually dry, yet it remains insightful even in these passages. Worth picking up a copy if only to read the warm recollection of Duchamp by his friend, Jasper Johns. If you have an interest in Duchamp - or any subject really, I find collected essays in general to be the way to get the best sense of the subject as opposed to one writer's take on the subject - I recommend this book.

[Onsetsu Evan Cordes]

Art rules.