Contents
Marcel Duchamp
Challenging the definition of art with readymades such as Fountain.
Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 · Fountain
- Born
- 28 July 1887
- Birthplace
- Blainville-Crevon, France
- Died
- 2 October 1968
More people
Marcel Duchamp
French-American artist whose experiments with objects, authorship and spectatorship shaped conceptual art.
Early life
Artistic siblings
Grew up in a family that produced several professional artists.
Study and printing
Studied briefly in Paris and learned printing during military service.
Career
- 1900s–1910s
Painting and experiment
Moved through modern painting toward unconventional objects and constructions.
- 1915–1920s
New York avant-garde
Worked between Europe and the United States while developing major projects.
- Later decades
Art and chess
Continued artistic experiments while devoting substantial time to chess.
Selected work
Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2
A painting breaking movement into overlapping forms.
The Large Glass
A complex work combining imagery, machinery and transparent support.
Fountain
Submitted a signed manufactured urinal as an artwork.
Beyond work
Chess
Played competitive chess and represented France in international competition.
Rrose Sélavy
Used an alternate artistic identity in photographs, signatures and wordplay.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and references ↗Biography and contributions ↗Photo: Unknown author Unknown author. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
