Alchemist of the Avant-Garde

John F. Moffitt

Description

Acknowledged as the "Artist of the Century," Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968) left a legacy that dominates the art world to this day. Inventing the ironically dégagé attitude of "ready-made" art-making, Duchamp heralded the postmodern era and replaced Pablo Picasso as the role model for avant-garde artists. John F. Moffitt challenges commonly accepted interpretations of Duchamp's art and persona by showing that his mature art, after 1910, is largely drawn from the influence of the occult traditions. Moffitt demonstrates that the key to understanding the cryptic meaning of Duchamp's diverse artworks and writings is alchemy, the most pictorial of all the occult philosophies and sciences.

List of Illustrations

Introduction: Prosecuting the Duchamp Case

1. An Esoteric French Adolescence for Duchamp: Symbolist Culture and Occultism

2. The Invention of the Modern Alchemist-Artist

3. The Cultural Shaping of an Artist-Iconoclast: Duchamp in France, 1887–1915

4. Duchamp's First Experiments in Esoteric and Alchemical Art, 1910–1912

5. Duchamp in New York with Esoteric Patrons and the Large Glass, 1915–1923

6. Alchemical Emblematics and the Ready-Mades, 1913–1923

7. The Esoteric Fourth Dimension and Laws of Chance, 1895–1923

8. The Circle Closes, 1923–1968

Epilogue: The Prosecution Rests

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Sujets

• Arts visuels
• Histoire des Arts
• Histoire des Arts
• Mysticism
• History of art
• Europe

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791486900
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 5 Mo

Extrait

a l c h e m i s t

o f t h e

a v a n t - g a r d e

SUNY series in Western Esoteric Traditions

David Appelbaum, editor

a l c h e m i s t o f t h e a v a n t - g a r d e

T H E C A S E O F MARCEL DUCHAMP

J o h n F . M o f f i t t

s t a t e u n i v e r s i t y o f n e w y o r k p r e s s

cover: Marcel Duchamp,Wanted/$2000 Reward ADAGP, Paris / Estate of Marcel Duchamp

© 2002 Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York /

Marcel Duchamp,The Large Glass; Marcel Duchamp,Portrait du Docteur Dumouchel,1910; Marcel Duchamp,Le Printemps,1911; Marcel Duchamp,La Mariée mise à nu par les Célibataires, meme; Marcel Duchamp,Terminological, Plan of theLarge GlassMarcel Duchamp,, 1915–1923; Tu m’. . . , 1918; Marcel Duchamp, . . .tant donnés: 1 r la chute d’eau,Interior, 1946; Marcel Duchamp, . . .tant donnés: 1 r la chute d’eau,Exterior, 1946, © 2002 Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris / Estate of Marcel Duchamp

Man Ray,Marcel Duchamp as Rrose Sélavy, Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

1920–1921 © 2002 Man Ray Trust/ Artist Rights

Published by S U N Y P T A T E N I V E R S I T Y O F E W O R K R E S S A LBANY

© 2003 State University of New York

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

For information, address State University of New York Press 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207

Production and book design, Laurie Searl Marketing, Fran Keneston

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Moffitt, John F. (John Francis), 1940– Alchemist of the avant-garde : the case of Marcel Duchamp / John F. Moffitt. p. cm. — (SUNY series in Western esoteric traditions) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-5709-5 (alk. paper) —ISBN 0-7914-5710-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Duchamp, Marcel, 1887–1968—Criticism and interpretation. 2. Alchemy—Influence. I. Title. II. Series.

N6853.D8 M64 2003 709.2—dc21

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

2002075855

Dedico lo siguiente a

Juan Antonio Ramírez:

además de ser excelente intérprete de Marcel Duchamp, fuiste tu quién me defendieras de los ataques provocados por mi violación metafórica de cierta dama del Levante (c’est à dire, ma bagarre d’Atocha).

On dédie aussi cet ouvrage à

Anni Laurian:

dame parisienne (pas d’Elche) qui m’a offert

les dictionnaires et traités

français essentiels sur l’Argot et l’Alchimie.

Thanks too to

Kent Lowry and Jack Rummel,

skillful editors of a text judged far too long by my

(unnamed but) knowledgeable Three Outside Readers,

otherwise enthusiastic for these iconoclastic revelations.

Sur Marcel Duchamp:

“A man’s life is his image.”

(Oscar Wilde)

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Voilà la direction que doit prendre l’art: l’expression intellectuelle, plutôt que l’expression animale. J’en ai assez de l’expression ‘bête comme un peintre’. — Marcel Duchamp, 1946

All in all, the creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work into contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting [it]. — Marcel Duchamp, 1957

Si j’ai fait de l’alchimie, c’est de la seule façon qui soit de nos jours admissible, c’est-à-dire sans le savoir. — Marcel Duchamp, 1959

D’ailleurs, c’est toujours les autres qui meurent. — Marcel Duchamp, 1968 (tombstone epitaph, Cimetière Monumental de Rouen)

AVIS AUX LECTEURS

In order to make this volume available at an affordable price—and so that it might actually getread—the illustrative materials had to be rig- orously limited. Since reproductions of Duchamp’s works are widely published, preference was given to the kind of literally esoteric illustra- tions that must be unknown to nonspecialist readers. Accordingly, a reference in my text to “MD-69” signifies “catalogue entry number 69”— with the corresponding illustration—in Jean Clair’s standard 1977 pub- lication of Duchamp’s complete oeuvre. Additionally, as cited in the notes, all references to publications are shortened with full details of name, title, place, etc. in the bibliography. Unless otherwise indicated, all translations are mine.

The estate of Marcel Duchamp notes that theMarcel Duchamp Cata logue raisonnéby Arturo Schwarz is a more recent catalogue.

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c o n t e n t s

l i s t o f i l l u s t r a t i o n s xi

i n t r o d u c t i o n : p r o s e c u t i n g t h e D u c h a m p c a s e 1

CHAPTER ONE a n e s o t e r i c Fr e n c h a d o l e s c e n c e f o r D u c h a m p : s y m b o l i s t c u l t u r e a n d o c c u l t i s m 13

CHAPTER TWO t h e i n v e n t i o n o f t h e m o d e r n a l c h e m i s t - a r t i s t 37

CHAPTER THREE t h e c u l t u r a l s h a p i n g o f a n a r t i s t - i c o n o c l a s t : D u c h a m p i n Fr a n c e , 1 8 8 7 – 1 9 1 5 65

CHAPTER FOUR D u c h a m p ’s f i r s t e x p e r i m e n t s i n e s o t e r i c a n d a l c h e m i c a l a r t , 1 9 1 0 – 1 9 1 2 97