44 Marcel Duchamp Quotes for You to Enjoy

Marcel Duchamp

French Artist

Born: Jul 28, 1887

Died: Oct 2, 1968

Art Because Me Own Painting You

Related authors: Camille Pissarro Claude Monet Edgar Degas Edouard Manet Henri Matisse Marc Chagall Paul Cezanne Paul Gauguin

What art is, in reality, is this missing link, not the links which exist. It's not what you see that is art; art is the gap. Marcel Duchamp

Art You Reality See Missing Exist Link Links Which Gap

The individual - man as a man, man as a brain, if you like - interests me more than what he makes because I've noticed that most artists only repeat themselves. Marcel Duchamp

Me You Man More Only Individual He Like Most Because Makes Repeat Brain Than Artists Themselves Interests Noticed

The entire world of art has reached such a low level, it has been commercialized to such a degree that art and everything related to it has become one of the most trivial activities of our epoch. Marcel Duchamp

Art World Degree Become Related Our Everything Has-Been Entire Entire World Trivial Most Reached Been Low Epoch Activities Level

Can works be made which are not 'of art'? Marcel Duchamp

Art Made Which Works

Artists of all times are like the gamblers of Monte Carlo, and this blind lottery allows some to succeed and ruins others. In my opinion, neither the winners nor the losers are worth worrying about. Marcel Duchamp

I shy away from the word 'creation.' In the ordinary, social meaning of the word - well, it's very nice, but fundamentally, I don't believe in the creative function of the artist. He's a man like any other. Marcel Duchamp

I became a librarian at the Sainte-Genevieve Library in Paris. I made this gesture to rid myself of a certain milieu, a certain attitude, to have a clean conscience, but also to make a living. I was twenty-five. I had been told that one must make a living, and I believed it. Marcel Duchamp

I was highly attracted to chess for forty or forty-five years; then, little by little, my enthusiasm lessened. Marcel Duchamp

Enthusiasm Highly Attracted Chess Years Little Then Forty Forty-Five

If only America would realize that the art of Europe is finished - dead - and that America is the country of the art of the future, instead of trying to base everything she does on European traditions! Marcel Duchamp

Future Art Finished Country Everything Would Only Instead Dead She Does Traditions America Trying Realize Europe European Base

I refused to accept anything, doubted everything. So, doubting everything, I had to find something that had not existed before, something I had not thought of before. Any idea that came to me, the thing would be to turn it around and try to see it with another set of senses. Marcel Duchamp

Me Try Thought Before Doubting Everything Would Would-Be Find See Something Had Idea Accept Another Around Came Existed Any Refused Anything Senses Turn Doubted Thing Set

For me, the 'Three Stoppages' was a first gesture liberating me from the past. Marcel Duchamp

Me Three First Past Gesture Liberating

Tradition is the great misleader because it's too easy to follow what has already been done - even though you may think you're giving it a kick. I was really trying to invent, instead of merely expressing myself. Marcel Duchamp

All painting, beginning with Impressionism, is antiscientific, even Seurat. I was interested in introducing the precise and exact aspect of science, which hadn't often been done, or at least hadn't been talked about very much. Marcel Duchamp

Science Beginning Painting Introducing Exact About Talked Least Been Impressionism Very Precise Done Often Which Interested Much Aspect Even

I would have to think about it for two or three months before I decided to do something which would have meaning. And it would have to be more than just an impression or pleasure. I would need an objective, a meaning. That is the only thing that could help me. Marcel Duchamp

Me Three Before Think Months Pleasure Would About Objective Something More Only Could Impression Than Just The Only Thing Decided Which Meaning Help Thing Two Need

In French, there is an old expression, la patte, meaning the artist's touch, his personal style, his 'paw'. I wanted to get away from la patte and from all that retinal painting. Marcel Duchamp

Old Style Painting Touch French His La Get Personal Artist Wanted Personal Style Meaning Paw Expression Away

I wanted to use my possibility to be an individual, and I suppose I have, no? Marcel Duchamp

Possibility Individual Suppose Wanted Use

In France, in Europe, the young artists of any generation always act as grandsons of some great man - Poussin, for example, or Victor Hugo. They can't help it. Even if they don't believe in that, it gets in their system. And so when they come to produce something of their own, the tradition is nearly indestructible. Marcel Duchamp

Great Man Generation Example Own Young Believe France System Indestructible Great Man Some Something Come For Example Always Tradition Hugo Gets Any Artists Victor Produce Act Help Europe Even Nearly

I'm nothing else but an artist, I'm sure, and delighted to be. Marcel Duchamp

Nothing Else Delighted Sure Artist

Dada was an extreme protest against the physical side of painting. It was a metaphysical attitude. Marcel Duchamp

Attitude Painting Side Extreme Physical Protest Metaphysical Against

The curious thing about the Ready-Made is that I've never been able to arrive at a definition or explanation that fully satisfies me. There's still magic in the idea, so I'd rather keep it that way than try to be exoteric about it. Marcel Duchamp

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