Marcel Duchamp

by Sarane Alexandrian

Marcel Duchamp is the everlasting hero of the art revolution of the twentieth century, for no matter what his age, he never ceased to embody the modern spirit.

95 pages, Hardcover

First published January 11, 1985

About the author

Sarane Alexandrian (15 June 1927, Baghdad – 11 September 2009, Ivry-sur-Seine) was a French philosopher, essayist, and art critic.

Alexandrian's initiation to Dada and surrealism came in the summer of 1943 when, aged 16, he met Raoul Hausmann who was staying in Peyrat-le-Château near Limoges as a refugee. From 1947, he served as the last secretary of André Breton and became an essential figure of the surrealist current.

Alexandrian was an advocate of the philosophy Nietzsche advanced in The Gay Science (Die fröhliche Wissenschaft). He headed the journal Supérieur Inconnu (a title provided by Breton), which exalts four values shared by the surrealists and Alexandrian: dreams, love, knowledge, and revolution. Catherine Millet is one notable contributor to the magazine.

Alexandrian was a friend of Victor Brauner, and remained an admirer of Charles Fourier, and an ardent defender of Mata Hari.

Reviews

[Foxtower · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked about this book is that it includes enough examples of his work as he developed cubism that I could see how he discovered and arrived at the solutions he found.

[Foxtower · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked about this book is that it includes enough examples of his work as he developed cubism that I could see how he discovered and arrived at the solutions he found.