Marcel Duchamp

French-born painter, sculptor, and chess player, later naturalized American, considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Initially a key figure in Dadaism and Surrealism, he later devoted himself to conceptual art and the ready-made—everyday objects decontextualized to become works of art. In some cases, his ready-mades involved interventions on major masterpieces of the past, such as Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. He favored an intellectual approach to art, viewing it as a work to be deciphered, rather than aligning with the avant-garde movements developed over the previous hundred years.

Works on display:

• Jouer d’échec, etching, 50.7 × 65.5 cm, 1965
• Les joueurs d’échecs, color lithograph, 70.2 × 53.5 cm, 1967
• Chess case, box with chessboard lid, 37 × 37 × 6 cm, containing letters, album, photograph, cassette, and other objects from the artist’s work, 1991