Marcel Duchamp (1887 – 1968) was a French artist whose complex, enigmatic works paved the way for conceptual art. Duchamp’s early pieces reflected an Impressionist influence, although he later transitioned to a unique form of facet Cubist-Futurism inspired by stop-motion photography. Created in this style, his famous “Nude Descending a Staircase” sparked such outrage in Paris and New York, it made Duchamp an overnight success. He also created ready-mades—ordinary objects that he titled and signed, thereby transforming them into art. Duchamp became a cult figure among avant-garde artists and powerfully impacted the development of Surrealism, Dada and Pop Art.

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