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A fascinating book demonstrating the influence of alchemy and esoteric traditions on the mature art of Marcel Duchamp.
Acknowledged as the "Artist of the Century," Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968) left a legacy that dominates the art world to this day. Inventing the ironically dégagé attitude of "ready-made" art-making, Duchamp heralded the postmodern era and replaced Pablo Picasso as the role model for avant-garde artists. John F. Moffitt challenges commonly accepted interpretations of Duchamp's art and persona by showing that his mature art, after 1910, is largely drawn from the influence of the occult traditions. Moffitt demonstrates that the key to understanding the cryptic meaning of Duchamp's diverse artworks and writings is alchemy, the most pictorial of all the occult philosophies and sciences.
List of Illustrations
Introduction: Prosecuting the Duchamp Case
1. An Esoteric French Adolescence for Duchamp: Symbolist Culture and Occultism
2. The Invention of the Modern Alchemist-Artist
3. The Cultural Shaping of an Artist-Iconoclast: Duchamp in France, 1887–1915
4. Duchamp's First Experiments in Esoteric and Alchemical Art, 1910–1912
5. Duchamp in New York with Esoteric Patrons and the Large Glass, 1915–1923
6. Alchemical Emblematics and the Ready-Mades, 1913–1923
7. The Esoteric Fourth Dimension and Laws of Chance, 1895–1923
8. The Circle Closes, 1923–1968
Epilogue: The Prosecution Rests
Notes
Bibliography
Index