I have always been fascinated by the unlikely friendship between Duchamp and Dali but it was quite strong and lasted decades apparently. Duchamp and his squeeze/friend Mary Reynolds often rented a house in Cadaqués, not far from Dalí’s home. The antique Spanish door arched by bricks in Duchamp's last piece Étant donnés come from that town and Dali helped Duchamp with the painted background landscape he created for the piece. You seem apologetic about Dali's paintings but he truly was a wonderful painter. I used to see his works as a teen in Cleveland before the Dali Museum moved from Cleveland to Florida so that it would not be ruined by the air pollution! How wonderful that you got to attend that amazing show, Tosh.
What a great memory: being introduced to Marcel Duchamp by Walter Hopps at the opening of his retrospective at the Pasadena Art Museum. So cool! Eve Babitz has an interesting account of meeting Duchamp too. It’s been a while since I read it but as I recall she missed the opening but thanks to the efforts of a photographer friend ended up playing chess with Duchamp the next day for a photo op. She was completely nude and quite beautiful but Duchamp was a total gentleman, remained undistracted and eventually won the game. I love that quote from John Ashbery.
I went to that exhibit with my parents though not for the opening. I dug the ready mades, and years later when I worked for Henrietta Michaelson-Bagley in NYC I entered a forged Duchamp in the group show opening of her gallery -- it was a cheese grater that I called "Skinned Knuckles" and signed on the card affixed to the pedestal on which it was placed Rrose Selavy with a calligraphy pen in imitation of Duchamp's Rrose Selavy signature that I copied from an art book. It was marked "Not For Sale." This is the only piece that I've ever entered in an art show.
I have always been fascinated by the unlikely friendship between Duchamp and Dali but it was quite strong and lasted decades apparently. Duchamp and his squeeze/friend Mary Reynolds often rented a house in Cadaqués, not far from Dalí’s home. The antique Spanish door arched by bricks in Duchamp's last piece Étant donnés come from that town and Dali helped Duchamp with the painted background landscape he created for the piece. You seem apologetic about Dali's paintings but he truly was a wonderful painter. I used to see his works as a teen in Cleveland before the Dali Museum moved from Cleveland to Florida so that it would not be ruined by the air pollution! How wonderful that you got to attend that amazing show, Tosh.
What a great memory: being introduced to Marcel Duchamp by Walter Hopps at the opening of his retrospective at the Pasadena Art Museum. So cool! Eve Babitz has an interesting account of meeting Duchamp too. It’s been a while since I read it but as I recall she missed the opening but thanks to the efforts of a photographer friend ended up playing chess with Duchamp the next day for a photo op. She was completely nude and quite beautiful but Duchamp was a total gentleman, remained undistracted and eventually won the game. I love that quote from John Ashbery.
I went to that exhibit with my parents though not for the opening. I dug the ready mades, and years later when I worked for Henrietta Michaelson-Bagley in NYC I entered a forged Duchamp in the group show opening of her gallery -- it was a cheese grater that I called "Skinned Knuckles" and signed on the card affixed to the pedestal on which it was placed Rrose Selavy with a calligraphy pen in imitation of Duchamp's Rrose Selavy signature that I copied from an art book. It was marked "Not For Sale." This is the only piece that I've ever entered in an art show.
I can't talk about my art at all. It must be great! 😏
Thanks Tosh. What wonderful memories. I also relate to the two Ashbery quotes.