2003.01.22 13:14
Re: Favorite Artist?
Furthermore, while everyone thought Duchamp had given up art for chess playing, he was actually being an "underground artist" (Duchamp's own term). And even further, during the early 1950s, Duchamp was arranging the Arensberg collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a collection that includes the largest collection of Duchamp works anywhere. Thus Duchamp literally arranged the bulk of his own work within a major museum, including the covert Étant donnés.
Duchamp is both literally and figuratively a very good aperture through which to view 20th century art.
Arranging one's own art work within a museum, what a virtually interesting idea. Perhaps even worth reenacting.
2003.01.22 15:10
Re: Favorite Artist?
Be sure to read, if you haven't already done so, the text Duchamp prepared and read for the panel discussion "Where do we go from Here? at Philadelphia, 20 March 1961. This text is within the "Ephemerides..." of Hulten et al, Marcel Duchamp: Work and Life, 1993. It is at the end of this speech/text that Duchamp states, "The great artist of tomorrow will go underground."
Given that we now know that Duchamp was secretly working on Étant donnés at that time, it seems only natural to assume that Duchamp was indeed clandestinely referring to himself. Not only was Duchamp good at reenacting, he got pretty good at preenacting as well.
Duchamp, an underground artist predicting the future greatness of himself. How artistic can you get[?]!
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