Marcel Duchamp

Painter. Born July 28, 1887 in Blainville, France, the son of a notary of Rouen. One of Marcel's brothers, Gaston, known as Jacques Villon, was a painter; another brother, Raymond Duchamp-Villon, was a sculptor. Duchamp moved to Paris at the age of 17 and began to paint. By 1911 he was responding in his painting to cubism, but his subjects were unusually personal and psychologically complex compared to the typical cubist ones. Scandal of the Armory Show In his …

…champ was secretive about his artwork. He had what was known as an underground reputation, with a small but strong following and few exhibitions. Andre Breton, the leader of the surrealists, greatly influenced Marcel Duchamp by bringing him into the spotlight. Breton made Duchamp into a legendary hero whose life and character were as important as his actual artistic productions. In addition to Breton, Duchamp was influenced by the growing art form known as Daddaism.