Surveys the life, work and times of Marcel Duchamp, one of the most influential of the 20th century artists.

Marcel Duchamp's critical examination of the conditions under which art is created and marketed set a trend that has continued from 20th century to the present. Due to the artistically provocative nature of his work, Duchamp received an enormous amount of critical attention but he maintained a "wall of silence" leaving his work to remain an enigma.

When is a urinal no longer a urinal? When Marcel Duchamp declared it to be art. From his infamous Fountain to reworked Mona Lisa with mustache and beard, this essential introduction to Duchamp surveys his audacious practice of "readymades" and beyond and its critical place in 20th-century art.

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.