Marcel Duchamp
The grandfather of postmodernism and a consummate trickster,  Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) remains one of the most complicated  characters in art history. In addition to an intellectually  demanding oeuvre, he made public statements about his life and  work that were often elusive, even contradictory. Journalist and  historian Marquis (Alfred H. Barr, Jr.) sets out to present what  she feels is a much-needed objective look at the artist, the  man, and the conundrum. Though she doesn't attempt to discredit  Duchamp or previous Duchamp scholarship, she doesn't take his  Olympian stature at face value either. Even Duchamp enthusiasts  who might bristle at statements like "Duchamp's art, like tripe,  is an acquired taste" will likely thrill to the previously  unpublished interviews, letters, and bits of gossip contained  here. This alone makes the sure-to-be-controversial biography a  noteworthy addition to Duchamp scholarship. The uninitiated may  want to start with Calvin Tompkins's more admiring Duchamp: A  Biography, but this work is recommended to anyone who wants to  explore further. With color plates of major works and candid  snapshots of the artist and his circle.   In contrast to Marquis's fresh approach, the monograph Marcel  Duchamp presents solid but typical essays on the master by  Duchamp scholars. One of curator Szeeman's goals is to elucidate  Duchampian ideas and their effect on other artists, specifically  Jean Tinguely. The publisher hoped to have this supersede  previous volumes by reproducing individual works in a larger  scale and by including some more obscure artwork. But  consequently every item is given more or less equal visual  importance, which may cause confusion about the actual size of  the original. Still, this handsome and fairly comprehensive  volume would be useful to libraries that don't already own Anne  D'Harnoncourt's Marcel Duchamp, the retrospective catalog by the  Philadelphia Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art, New  York.Douglas McClemont, New YorkCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.