Marcel Duchamp, Respirateur

"Marcel Duchamp has influenced the art of the twentieth-century more than anyone else except Pablo Picasso. One can reasonably claim that without his work, art history would have taken a different course", writes Herbert Molderings in his essay on Marcel Duchamp as sculptor. His ready-mades significantly expanded the notion of what art could be -- an expansion of borders that was to have major consequences for the path of art later in the century. This beautifully designed book, a bibliophile's treasure, focuses on the structural basis of Duchamp's oeuvre, his methodology, and the philosophical underpinnings of his work. A selection of statements by Duchamp, printed on parchment paper, offers insight into his aesthetic concepts, and not least into the artist's enigmatic wit and irony. The book is based on the major 1995 exhibition at the Staatliche Museum, Schwerin, which owns one of the premier collections of Duchamp's work, acquired from Ronny and Jessy Van de Velde of Antwerp. An essential reference work,for all art libraries.… (more)