Marcel Duchamp

In 1915, after the criticism of Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, Marcel Duchamp moved to New York, where he became one of the champions of Dada. This anti-art “movement” rejected traditional artistic aesthetics and sought to subvert its conventions and values. Duchamp’s “ready-mades” were made in exactly this spirit, but the masterpiece of this period is his installation made of glass and various other materials, The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even. The work, made between 1915 and 1923 and also known as The Large Glass, has been the subject of unending debate about its interpretation ever since, although many consider it merely a joke. The Large Glass became Duchamp’s last major work, and despite his voluntary retirement he remained a leading adviser to collectors and institutions of modern art in America throughout his life.

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