View Magazine’s Marcel Duchamp Special Issue, 1945

February 20, 2009 "Scholars often see View's most valuable contribution as its role in the introduction of Surrealist art to an American audience during the years 1940-1947. Although several recent studies examine the magazine generally within the context of Surrealism in America, few focus closely on the individual issues themselves...The Marcel Duchamp issue in March of 1945 appeared at a moment when Ford's magazine was enjoying some relative success, and Breton's own .. read more...

Ubu Roi, book binding by Marcel Duchamp and Mary Reynolds

February 20, 2009 "This binding is perhaps the best known and most successful of the collaborations between Reynolds and Duchamp. On November 26, 1934, Duchamp visited his close friend Henri-Pierre Roché in Arago and excitedly reported on a binding that he had just designed for Alfred Jarry’s Ubu Roi that Mary Reynolds was going to execute. Reynolds and Duchamp created out of the binding itself an extraordinarily clever pun. Both the front and back covers are cut-out 'U&rsquo.. read more...

Marcel Duchamp

February 20, 2009

"With so much ado about his urinals and wheels, it’s easy to forget that Marcel Duchamp was also an exceptional painter. But Duchamp rejected painting. He rejected, that is, his talent. The fact that an exceptional painter rejected painting — and ultimately may even have rejected art — is precisely what lends Duchamp’s work its disconcerting gravity."

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Duchamp, Love and Death, Even

February 20, 2009 "After Duchamp's death a final set was released in French under the title 'Marcel Duchamp: Notes' (1980) and followed by its English translation in 1983. This has provoked a stream of publications in English as well as further offerings from Europe and elsewhere. One of these is Juan Antonio Ramirez' 'Duchamp: love and death, even,' originally published in Spanish and subsequently translated into English. It provides .. read more...

Duchamp, Man Ray, Picabia, and Chess

February 20, 2009 In his article All Artists are Not Chess Players Allan Savage looks at the chess playing of Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, and Francis Picabia.  All three were fascinated by the game and incorporated it into their artwork.  Man Ray blieived that a square grid, such as a chess board, was "the basis for all art… it helps you to understand the structure, to master a sense of order" and he incorporated chess imagery into much of his art.  Picabia was als.. read more...

Excerpt from The Posthuman Dada Guide: tzara and lenin play chess

February 20, 2009

"This is a guide for instructing posthumans in living a Dada life. It is not advisable, nor was it ever, to lead a Dada life. It is and it was always foolish and self-destructive to lead a Dada life because a Dada life will include by definition pranks, buffoonery, masking, deranged senses, intoxication, sabotage, taboo breaking, playing childish and/or dangerous games, waking up dead gods, and not taking education seriously."

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Reproductions from the MoMA’s collection at the Atlantic Avenue/Pacific Street subway station

February 20, 2009 The MoMA is currently displaying large-scale reproductions of works from their collection, including Marcel Duchamp's Bicycle Wheel (1913), at the Atlantic Avenue/Pacific Street subway station in Brooklyn.  The display, which is intended to increase awareness of the museum's collection, will last until March 15, 2009.    The display is accompanied by audio commentries on selected works, which can be accessed by calling 1-888-939-MoMA , as well as a website whic.. read more...

Chess and Art

February 20, 2009 In a blog post Jennifer Shahade, who annotated 15 chess games for the upcoming book Marcel Duchamp: The Art of Chess, argues against the idea that Duchamp "renounced art for chess".  Instead, she says, Duchamp's chess playing acutally contributed to his art.  He created works inspired by chess, from his early work The Chess Game (1910) The Large Glass (The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors, Even) (1915-1923).   Shahade also argues that chess a.. read more...

Yves Saint Laurent Auction will Feature Work by Duchamp

February 20, 2009 An upcoming auction of art from the collection of Yves Saint Laurent will feature Duchamp's piece Belle Haleine - Eau de Voilette (1921). The piece, which is a perfume bottle with a photo of Duchamp dressed as a woman on it, is estimated to sell for 1 million Euros.  The auction was organized by Saint Laurent's longtime partner Pierre Bergé following Saint Laurent's death last year.  All proceeds from the auction will go to scientific and Aids research... read more...