Marcel Duchamp has changed the history of modern art. His impact on the 20th century is rivaled only by that of Matsisse and Picasso, and no other figure has so directly influenced recent art forms.

"Nude Decending a Staircase", "The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even" and the readymades are acknowledged landmarks in the art of our century, but reference to them only hints at the full scope of Duchamp's works. He took up a succession of projects after his much publicized precocious retirement from "art", and upon his death in 1968 it was revealed that he had been secretly at work for 20 years on a major piece, the naturalistic assemblage entitled Etant donnés. As the culmination of his artistic activity, the work allows us to see his total achievemt in a new light.

This book, besides presenting a documented photographic survey of Duchamp's work, offers ten original essays by eminent scholars and critics, covering his work as well as his private life.