Marcel Duchamp: The Afternoon Interviews

Marcel Duchamp was an enigma to many, and the new collection of his interviews (conducted in the early 60s by a magazine writer attempting a profile on a mercurial figure) will fascinate those already hooked on the guy, while newcomers will find here an easy, painless and exceedingly swift introduction into the mind and humor of one of the world's leading artistic figures. At least our book club found it so: in our club there are veritable Duchamp newbies while at the other end of the spectrum there are those among us who have studied him for ages. One man revealed that his dad took his little hand in his big hand and walked our member into the Pasadena Museum of Art where under Walter Hopps wise tutelage Duchamp sat and played chess with a totally nude girl--a sight to dream of, not to tell, as Coleridge said in a similar situation.Anyhow there are a few puzzles in the book, such as, why was this material been hidden for so long? The addenda to the slim volume fail to mention the provenance, though artist slash publisher Paul Chan interviews Calvin Tompkins about his long ago meetings with Duchamp; we just don't hear about it. Maybe Tompkins, who interviewed Chan himself for the New Yorker not all that long ago, stumbled onto these treasures in an old vase or attic and mentioned them to the young artist over drinks at La Cote Basque, 1965. But all of us were grateful that they are here for us now. Duchamp remains full of tricks, and so deadpan that some of his amazing provocations go unchallenged, and contradictory from afternoon to afternoon.He grows irate--maybe not irate, but call it upset--only once or twice, when Tompkins tries to link him to one or another artistic movements--the Dadists, the pop artists, the Futurists, and Duchamp resists being put into a box and goes to absurd lengths and prevarications to escape categorization. Once or twice his resort to pidgin English betray anxiety, he speaks of people with good taste (whom he disdains) as "tast-y people," and any reader will find other examples, peculiar in such an erudite yet plainspoken guy. He can be quite funny and outrageous, but used I think by this date to hearing the words, "Yes Master" so often that he doesn't hear anything else. And then there's the question of Tompkins finding out only after Duchamp's death that he actually hadn't given up making art, and was busy for twenty years creating the sketches, maquettes, scaffolds and drawings of the "Etants Donnes." One thinks, if he could omit so smoothly the most important item on his agenda, what else is his bland, humorous tone keeping from The New Yorker and from Tompkins personally? And thus from us. I find it hard to believe a thing he says, and such are the lessons of postmodernism. As if to compensate, Tompkins argues that by the time they met (say, 1959) Duchamp had mellowed and warmed due to the influence of Teeny, his enchanting American-born wife who made life worth living for everyone she knew. He must have been horrid with a chip on his shoulder, but here, he's wise and paternal as, say, Walt Disney was hosting The Wonderful World of Disney.

I just had a most rewarding experience reading—and listening—to a book. The volume in question is Marcel Duchamp: The Afternoon Interviews, by Calvin Tomkins, published earlier this past year by Badlands Unlimited. The text is entirely comprised of transcribed conversations that took place between Duchamp and Tomkins fifty years ago.In addition to the text —"the enhanced e-book includes four audio clips, including three from the original 1964 recording of the interview and a never before heard clip of Tomkins in 2012 telling a short story about Duchamp."Oddly, the three audio clips featuring Duchamp reveal sizeable discrepancies between his recorded remarks and the versions that appear on the screen. The most significant difference occurs on page 36 (page 45 in the ebook) in a passage about the formation of the Société Anonyme. In the audio clip, Duchamp remarks on what it means to be a “museum of modern art.” His observations on this subject have not been transcribed.These discrepancies between text and audio are by no means minor—the meaning of everything in the book is altered through misrepresentation, especially since there is no introduction, let alone footnotes—no warning that cuts or changes have been made and what they might be. I purchased the print version just to make sure that this is the case with both. The book and the ebook don’t vary in any way, (except that there are no sound files included with the former).It’s too easy to point to this as a weakness in the publication. However, I don’t want to, since, for one thing, it’s obvious. For another, it gives one pause to ponder how often this happens in editing, regardless of the medium. For whatever reason (space, relevancy) the author/editor made the kinds of decisions that take place all the time. The good news, if there is any, is that now we have a way, as never before, to compare a transcribed text with the original audio record (assuming that too hasn’t been edited).No, I actually want to praise this project for presenting me with possibility. To be able to encounter significant discrepancies between the text and the sound files opens up enormous potential for interpretation (assuming one pays attention) that would not have presented itself if we were reading text in print alone.My only regret is that I can’t hear the whole thing.

I enjoyed this book a great deal and think anyone with a passing interest in art or artists would find it quite pleasing.

A fabulous read...Calvin Tomkins at his best & a wonderful insight into Duchamp, much of it in his own words. I started reading it right after I opened the package & finished it the next morning.In all of the art history I have studied, Duchamp has generally been presented as mysterious &/or inexplicable. His clear mind & sense of purpose are very evident in this book, as well as his playfulness & very astute sense of humor.A must for anyone interested in the evolution of Modern Art.

This is a nice reflection and good introduction to notions that have unfolded over time about art.The fact that Tomkins came to art via Duchamp...by chance...correlates to the idea of the evolution of contemporary art and the art world in the last century. It was chance and new directions separating the past from the present.The speed of life makes Duchamp part of the slow movement currently.....long reads, slow food. He is still relevant and yes, at the root of much that has happened.A nice read.

This is a good quick read and overview into the mind of Duchamp and his view of his creative process (or non-process).

I think the book shows Duchamp's personality quite well. I liked it. If you're interested in him, read this because he is the one speaking, (it's all Q & A).

The interviews are very good, not formal, simple conversation pieces. Marcel Duchamp is a champion in his points of view. I am not so sure that his ideas will prevail in the long term, but there is no doubt they influence a big number of contemporary artists. In any case, they must be read by those interested in the art market. Artists or not.

Not sure what the fuss is all about...He clearly comes as an independent thinker, something that many people (in many fields) lack today.At the beginning he says he doesn't give a s***e about interior design, then in an other interview he explains that some important works he did was done for his own interior design.In other words he says one thing in an interview, and the complete opposite in the next one.I don't know if he takes the pi$$ or if his views change every day, but in both cases not much can be taken from these interviews..

For those who love Duchamp this small book it As I mentioned it is a small book and that is the only criticism of it I could have read many more interviews but it spurred me to buy the autobiography of Duchamp by the same author. Highly recommended.

fab just what I wanted

A wonderful insight into the life and reflection s of Marcel Duchamp, very enjoyable. I highly recommend it!

Neben Picasso war Marcel Duchamp der wohl bedeutendste Künstler des 20. Jahrhunderts. Sein Werk, ohne das ein Joseph Beuys nicht denkbar wäre, hat erregende Spuren hinterlassen. Duchamp hat zahllose Essays und Selbstinterpretationen hinterlassen, denen man aber mit Mißtrauen begegnen sollte. Er liebte das Versteck- und Verwirrspiel. Und so sind auch diese Interwiews, geführt von dem Duchampkenner und -biografen Calvin Tomkins, nicht immer als bare Münze zu nehmen. ("Glauben Sie kein Wort von dem, was ich sage.") Amüsant zu lesen und informativ ist das Bändchen allemal.