Duchamp: Love and Death Even

Marcel Duchamp's stature in the history of art has grown steadily since the 1950s, several artistic movements having embraced him as their "founding father". But although his influence is comparable only to that of Picasso, Duchamp continues to be relatively unknown outside his narrow circle of followers. This book sets out to offer a careful explanation of the oeuvre which has been shrouded in mystery. Duchamp's two great preoccupations were the nature of scientific truth and a feeling of love with its natural limit, death. His works speak of eroticism in a way that pushes the boundaries of what is socially acceptable to their outer limits. The book also addresses questions such as the meaning of Duchamp's groundbreaking ready-mades and of his installation, "Etant Donnes". The text is accompanied by about 300 illustrations and commentaries, covering all of the artist's most important works, in addition to numerous visual references.