Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) was arguably the most radical artist of the 20th century.
He stopped painting in 1918 and spent much of the next 50 years exploring alternatives to traditional artistic practices.
This dynamic, richly illustrated study explains how appropriation and replication were central to Duchamp's art-and examines the significance of the many replicas that Duchamp created or authorized.
From The Nude Descending a Staircase and The Large Glass to a 1960s re-creation of the Ready- mades, Francis Naumann shows how Duchamp embraced all aspects of mechanical reproduction to short-circuit the clichés of a conventional artistic career-and highlight the cerebral qualities of his work.
For all those interested in Duchamp and his enormous influence on modern art, this book is required reading.
