Page 31 - Studio International - January February 1975

spectacle of Duchamp

Anthony Hill

conflicting interpretations and interested in the climate of events `The Meaning of Meaning' . .. (where
evaluations which have been forthcoming developing out of Cubism and wanted to incidentally Wittgenstein is almost
and will continue ? On balance one sees ask a number of questions and his certainly referred to). The idea of a
that the sum of the problems posed has permission to quote his notes in the comparison with Zen was not my own
become the most important of Duchamp's Dreier Collection catalogue; later I idea. I had learned in the early 5os from
legacies. Almost all his works are in obtained a copy of the Green Box and Gabrielle Buffet-Picabia that at least one
museums at his own bidding — the this stimulated more personal questions. American student was then developing
bequests were taken care of in his lifetime. I first met Duchamp in 1959. Richard this notion (in a thesis).
No artist has given more and demanded Hamilton had emerged as one of the In 1969 Arturo Schwarz's 'The
less, and done so in a way consistent with leading authorities on Duchamp by then Complete Works of Marcel Duchamp'
the outstanding traits of his personality. and had arranged a small exhibition to was published and I was to discover that
Duchamp combined modesty with celebrate the publication of the Lebel
audaciousness, profundity with monograph. On the basis of our
lightheartedness and commitment with conversation I was stimulated to try and
indifference. write something specifically on Duchamp,
Everyone who has come under the and using the event of the small ICA
spell of Duchamp will have reacted to show in London wrote a piece for Art
that part of him which pleases them most News & Review'. I sent this article to
and this will show up in the 'account' — an Duchamp and as on previous occasions
unwitting falsification of the books ! In received a most charming and courteous
speaking of him one should match reply: very much enjoyed your
candour with candour; for this reason I article which brings out many points
find it difficult to know what to speak of never noticed before, it was great fun to
at a personal level, and it would be an meet you especially after imagining a
indulgence to say any more than seems "you" from our correspondence.'
essential in introducing a Studio The next and last time I met Duchamp
International Supplement devoted to was at the dinner arranged for him on the
Marcel Duchamp. Suffice to say that at an occasion of his exhibition at the Tate
early and impressionable age I elected Gallery in 1966. In Schwarz's books
Duchamp, in secret, to be a kind of amongst the 'statements' of Duchamp
artistic step-father; I can think of no listed is : 302 (An Address) delivered by
better terms to describe my attachment. Duchamp at the Tate Gallery ... What
The bare outward facts can be Duchamp said is not recorded, neither
summarized briefly enough. Duchamp was it 'recorded' in any sense by the Tate. Water Mill with glider, 1913-15
certainly exercised a fascination for me on But if my memory is correct, when asked these ideas were appearing ten years
the basis of the image I had built up of to speak in reply to the official toast he later, almost word for word. However, it
him and my belief that he had achieved restricted himself almost wholly to the was not till I read John Golding's
something altogether different from the `warning' : 'Prenez garde de la peinture monograph that I became aware of the
`archetypal' modern artist. However, fraiche'. exact context of this oft-quoted phrase,
while I had no ambition to directly Years later when I saw a photo of the `There is no problem ...'; it seems
emulate his standpoint I nevertheless casing Duchamp devised for the Duchamp was questioned about the
believed that much of what he had done collection of notes 'A l'infinitif' (1967) I Large Glass and the statement turns out
was of more than indirect relevance to could not suppress the thought that to be his answer'. So both Schwarz and I
abstract art, full knowing that abstract art Duchamp had perhaps also liked the were under the illusion that Duchamp
was not of direct interest to Duchamp. typographical motif I had devised for the had made this statement about art/life
His stand against painting, his Art News article. One of my favourite when in fact it was about one of his
innovations and particularly the notion of Duchamp works is the one I always think works.
the ready-made had a profound influence of as the 'D' shaped glass Glider A few years ago I invented an alter ego
on me. Above all was the idea of putting Containing a Water Mill (1913-15) and so (the idea was clearly influenced by
`mind' back into art, although for I used this as the capital D in Duchamp. Duchamp . whose Rose Selavy I had
Duchamp this was clearly not the same In his casing he simply reproduced the in mind); his name was to be Rem
as having 'rational' content. `D' shaped glass on the front. Doxfud and this in turn was to be
The strategy of being 'influenced' by In the piece I wrote on Duchamp, I explained as a 'contraction' of
literature was a very shrewd one, an ventured the following : `Duchamp has Rembrandt's Doghsfoodt. Rem Doxfud
effective outer coating as it were, but it said "Il n'y a pas de solution parce qu'il was to be described as an artist and
seemed to me to rely in Duchamp's case n'y a pas de problème", and one cannot academic and his unpublished MS were
too much on the indulgence of elaborate help noticing a possible similarity in this to have been announced as 'The
personal fantasies. This appealed to me to the well-known final oracular Erotologist Speaks' and 'AS ABOVE SO
but principally as something to resist at statement in the Tractatus of BELOW', a study of Wittgenstein and
all cost. In this I was reacting to Wittgenstein, (for others it might suggest Duchamp. The idea of such a study
Duchamp's dialectic of contradiction, Zen).' I had recently talked with seemed irresistible, both in serious terms
already mentioned, which I chose to take Duchamp and was able to verify that at and those of recondite scholarship.
`literally' — if one can put it that way. My that time he had never heard of By chance at about that time I read
reasons for writing to Duchamp (I did so Wittgenstein; however, he did admit to that Duchamp had indeed made a 'note'
first in 1951) were two-fold: first, I was having tried to read Ogden and Richard's which really did reflect the kind of
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