Why Duchamp
Clothbound, sewn, jacketed, 160 pages, 5.5 x 8.5", 1985, 0-914232-71-1
In this natural sequel to How to Imagine the authors direct their attention to the mythology and critical scaffolding that surrounds the enigmatic figure of Marcel Duchamp. What exactly is the value of his work today? How can we thread our way through the intricacies of his thought and achieve some greater understanding of its implications? Baruchello and Martin recapture the essence of Duchamp's singularly revolutionary art and discover as well the man behind the Artist. One again, the story is told in Baruchello's absorbing voice, at once and the same time a voice of authority and disarming modesty. This edition features ten photographs of Duchamp and his work (many taken by Baruchello). A selected bibliography on Duchamp is included.
A French edition is available from Editions Chambon. A German language edition is published by Ritter Klagenfurt Verlag.
"The mind that emerges from these pages is playful, allusive, witty, surprising, unpretentious and iconoclastic... [a] scintillating book." — Calvin Tomkins, New York Times Book Review
"This is a wonderful little book about Marcel Duchamp that is rich in anecdotal material and insightful analysis of the artist's ideas... Baruchello takes us to the 'other side' as he reminisces about Duchamp and in doing so helps us understand Duchamp by making him more mysterious. A paradox? Of course." — The Arts Education Review of Books
"Baruchello advances thoughtful criticism of Duchamp's work while asserting its lasting vitality. Recommended." — Library Journal
"Neither a biography nor critical treatise, this essay is a lively and informal search for the elusive power of 'the first great master as an impressario of the bizarre' — a lovely little book." — Rosellen Brown