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Marcel Duchamp: The Afternoon Interviews
In 1964, Calvin Tomkins spent a number of afternoons interviewing Marcel Duchamp in his apartment on West 10th Street in New York. Casual yet insightful, Duchamp reveals himself as a man and an artist whose playful principles toward living freed him to make art that was as unpredictable, complex, and surprising as life itself. Those interviews have never been edited and made public, until now. "The Afternoon Interviews," which includes an introductory interview with Tomkins reflecting on Duchamp as an artist, guide and friend, reintroduces the reader to key ideas of his artistic world and renews Duchamp as a vital model for a new generation of artists.
Calvin Tomkins was born in 1925 in Orange, New Jersey. He joined the New Yorker as a staff writer in 1960. His many profiles include John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg, Merce Cunningham, Leo Castelli, Damien Hirst, Richard Serra, Bruce Nauman, Cindy Sherman and Jasper Johns. Tomkins is the author of 12 books, including "The Bride and the Bachelors" (1965), "Living Well Is the Best Revenge" (1971), "Lives of the Artists" (2008) and "Duchamp: A Biography" (1996).
Calvin Tomkins was born in 1925 in Orange, New Jersey. He joined the New Yorker as a staff writer in 1960. His many profiles include John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg, Merce Cunningham, Leo Castelli, Damien Hirst, Richard Serra, Bruce Nauman, Cindy Sherman and Jasper Johns. Tomkins is the author of 12 books, including "The Bride and the Bachelors" (1965), "Living Well Is the Best Revenge" (1971), "Lives of the Artists" (2008) and "Duchamp: A Biography" (1996).
102 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2013
About the author
Calvin Tomkins
60 books30 followersCalvin Tomkins has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1960. He wrote his first fiction piece for the magazine in 1958, and his first fact piece in 1962. His many Profile subjects have included Marcel Duchamp, John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg, Merce Cunningham, Buckminster Fuller, Philip Johnson, Julia Child, Georgia O’Keeffe, Leo Castelli, Frank Stella, Carmel Snow, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Frank Gehry, Damien Hirst, Richard Serra, Matthew Barney, and Jasper Johns. He wrote the Art World column from 1980 to 1988. Before joining The New Yorker, he was a general editor of Newsweek, a post he held from 1957 through 1959. In 1955, he joined Newsweek as an associate editor. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including “The Bride and the Bachelors,” “Merchants and Masterpieces,” “Living Well Is the Best Revenge,” “Off the Wall,” “Duchamp: A Biography,” and “Lives of the Artists.” A revised edition of his Duchamp biography came out in 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
November 6, 2019
دوشان. مارسل دوشانِ عزیزِ عزیزِ عزیز؛ تداومِ نقش بر پلّهها.
April 23, 2014
One could read this entire book on Metro Line 4 from downtown to Santa Monica, and without a doubt it would be an enjoyable read. I never met someone who doesn't love Marcel Duchamp, and this book, although small, is perhaps the best feel-good book that's out there. Duchamp looks at the world without judgement, or he doesn't really believe in the world of "taste." Mean bad, good or indifferent, it doesn't affect his world. It is interesting when he points out about the theory of the ready-made, needs to be an object that one doesn't think about or have an opinion about. And it is difficult to find something that has no value either aesthetically or emotionally. For me, if he picks a snow shovel, I give some thought of it as an aesthetic - and therefore think of the design, what it means to me emotionally as well as intellectually. When at the end of the day, it is what it is - a snow shovel Duchamp was a genius, because he had the ability to see the world as what it was - not what it can be, but taking what's out there and redefining in a fashion that will suit your purpose. These interviews took place in 1964, and Calvin Tomkins was the right person at the right time. There is no art theory chit-chat but more straight through clear thinking. Reading this book is a bit like having a beer on a Thursday early evening with someone you admire greatly.
June 30, 2022
هم نشینی با مارسل دوشان در یک پسینِ نیویورکی، هم چنان پُربار و خواندنی. و این آرامشِ بی همتای دوشان در شرحِ هنرمدرن و برانداختنِ پرده ها چه شنیدنی
نهم تیردادِ چهارده-هیچ یک
نهم تیردادِ چهارده-هیچ یک
April 11, 2023
Nördaskapur fyrir lúsera (fannst hún mjög skemmtileg)
May 7, 2017
Liked first two interviews better than the third.
Calvin Tomkins:
* "Humor had always been pretty rare in art, and I think it's less rare since Duchamp."
* "His friend Henri-Pierre Roché once said Duchamp's greatest work was his use of time."
Marcel Duchamp:
* "The profession of being an artist, of becoming an artist, was only left to a few, compared to what is it today, when a young man not having special aptitude for anything will say, "Well, I'll try art."
* "In my opinion such an abundant production can only result in mediocrity. There is no time to make very fine work... I feel that things of great importance have to be slowly produced."
* "Collectors... they are not generally intelligent enough. Collectors tend to feel things. They are feelers, not intellectuals."
* "I think the great man of tomorrow in the way of art cannot be seen, should not be seen, and should go underground. He may be recognized after his death if he has any luck, but he may not be recognized at all. Going underground means not having to deal in money terms with society."
* "The artist produces nothing until the onlooker has said, "you have produced something marvelous."
* "...They're such supreme egos. It's disgusting. I've never seen anything worse than an artist as a mind. It is very low, uninteresting as far as the relationship of men is concerned."
* "I'm afraid that our dear century won't be very much remembered in five more centuries from now."
* "...But the general feeling about it is - quick art. Art for the moment, which doesn't care about the future or the past... I think there is a great deal to the idea of not doing a thing, but that when you do a thing, you don't do it in five minutes or in five hours, but in five years."
* "...you've got to find yourself, if you have a self to find..."
* "Art is a habit-forming drug, that's all it is, for the collector, for the artist, for anybody connected with art... When people speak of art on a very religious level, I try to explain to myself that it is not much to be revered. It's a drug... As a drug it's very useful to many people. It's a sedative drug."
* "There is nothing that has eternal value. The poor Mona Lisa is gone because no matter how wonderful her smile may be, it's been looked at so much that the smile has disappeared... The same thing with my damn Nude, you see, from a scandalous painting it became a boring painting, by being looked at so much."
* "Even if you make a mistake by liking something that you shouldn't, for whatever reasons, there's much more to love that in hatred. I mean, what's the use of hating? You're just using up your energy, and die sooner."
* "Introducing the idea of movement in art was the discovery of the century."
* "I don't believe in art. I believe in the artist."
Calvin Tomkins:
* "Humor had always been pretty rare in art, and I think it's less rare since Duchamp."
* "His friend Henri-Pierre Roché once said Duchamp's greatest work was his use of time."
Marcel Duchamp:
* "The profession of being an artist, of becoming an artist, was only left to a few, compared to what is it today, when a young man not having special aptitude for anything will say, "Well, I'll try art."
* "In my opinion such an abundant production can only result in mediocrity. There is no time to make very fine work... I feel that things of great importance have to be slowly produced."
* "Collectors... they are not generally intelligent enough. Collectors tend to feel things. They are feelers, not intellectuals."
* "I think the great man of tomorrow in the way of art cannot be seen, should not be seen, and should go underground. He may be recognized after his death if he has any luck, but he may not be recognized at all. Going underground means not having to deal in money terms with society."
* "The artist produces nothing until the onlooker has said, "you have produced something marvelous."
* "...They're such supreme egos. It's disgusting. I've never seen anything worse than an artist as a mind. It is very low, uninteresting as far as the relationship of men is concerned."
* "I'm afraid that our dear century won't be very much remembered in five more centuries from now."
* "...But the general feeling about it is - quick art. Art for the moment, which doesn't care about the future or the past... I think there is a great deal to the idea of not doing a thing, but that when you do a thing, you don't do it in five minutes or in five hours, but in five years."
* "...you've got to find yourself, if you have a self to find..."
* "Art is a habit-forming drug, that's all it is, for the collector, for the artist, for anybody connected with art... When people speak of art on a very religious level, I try to explain to myself that it is not much to be revered. It's a drug... As a drug it's very useful to many people. It's a sedative drug."
* "There is nothing that has eternal value. The poor Mona Lisa is gone because no matter how wonderful her smile may be, it's been looked at so much that the smile has disappeared... The same thing with my damn Nude, you see, from a scandalous painting it became a boring painting, by being looked at so much."
* "Even if you make a mistake by liking something that you shouldn't, for whatever reasons, there's much more to love that in hatred. I mean, what's the use of hating? You're just using up your energy, and die sooner."
* "Introducing the idea of movement in art was the discovery of the century."
* "I don't believe in art. I believe in the artist."
October 7, 2017
an amusing intellectual conversation for those who love to think about art and philosophy.I love Duchamp's sense of humor, his honesty, and his modesty.I ong>
pt about motion in art, yet felt that Tomkins spent too much time on this subject for the average reader.
pt about motion in art, yet felt that Tomkins spent too much time on this subject for the average reader.
August 8, 2019
This was a quick and easy read. Lots of fun quotes from Marcel and great insight into his philosophy on art.
March 8, 2013
This book provides a contemporary focus on Marcel Duchamp as an artist and a thinker. The conversations are as modern and relevant to concerns pertaining to today's art world as they were on the afternoons Calvin Tomkins met with Duchamp in his apartment, nearly fifty years ago.
Duchamp remains an important icon to every generation of artists that succeeded him, and the publishing of these interviews are timely; artists today are more concerned with the commercialization and integration of art into other industries more than ever, a topic Duchamp becomes increasingly at the center of, in part with the introduction of his ready-mades. Ultimately, the book provides an intimate portrayal of not only how he worked, but just as importantly, how he lived.
Duchamp remains an important icon to every generation of artists that succeeded him, and the publishing of these interviews are timely; artists today are more concerned with the commercialization and integration of art into other industries more than ever, a topic Duchamp becomes increasingly at the center of, in part with the introduction of his ready-mades. Ultimately, the book provides an intimate portrayal of not only how he worked, but just as importantly, how he lived.
December 2, 2013
One needn't be interested in Duchamp's work, though I am, to find this book interesting. It transcribes interviews that took place in 1960s New York with an insightful observer as well as practitioner of art from the century's start. Duchamp, for example, wanted to return art to the mind from the "retinal" Impressionists and Abstract Expressionists. He valued originality but not for its own sake, and humor was often at his side. While not always agreeing with Duchamp, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about why the Mona Lisa's smile has disappeared, how the readymades helped him avoid a drug habit, The Right to Be Lazy, a fourth dimension that isn't time, and much more.
January 7, 2014
A fascinating set of conversations between Marcel Duchamp, who I really admire, and Calvin Tomkins. Although I've read Tomkins biography of Duchamp, these short chats still manage to throw some fresh light on the man. The book is slightly marred by the introductory interview with Tomkins which is conducted by someone who seems determined to show off and fails to produce anything of interest in the process.
April 30, 2013
The greatest achievement of literature that I can think of is that it connects a reader with the mind of another, bridges time and space, and creates intimacy. To visit Marcel Duchamp's mind is always a trip worth taking, and this collection of afternoon interviews conducted by the New Yorker writer Calvin Tomkins inspire. It's not the art, it's the artist.
April 10, 2018
Love love loved this book! It's so short yet so deep, covering much of what art critics debate and more. For those not very interested in art, it's a great way to get interested. And for those who are admirers of art, it broadens the dialogue. For artists too, Marcel looking inward will inevitably invite you to look inward.
February 25, 2013
Quick, light and funny.
April 11, 2013
Enjoying this so much. Loved this quote from the introductory interview with Calvin Tomkins:
"Art can be anything. It isn't an object or evn an image, it's an activity of the spirit."
"Art can be anything. It isn't an object or evn an image, it's an activity of the spirit."
December 9, 2020
My passion for Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo opened up the world of 20th century artists for me. Marcel Duchamp was a name often tossed about as a leader among the Surrealists in Paris at the turn of the 20th century. Diego met Duchamp when he lived in Paris as a young artist right out of his classical studies in Spain; Frida knew him from her brief time in 1930's Paris when Andre Breton invited her to so a show of her own work. I was impressed that Marcel was the only surrealist Frida liked; he helped her get her paintings out of a warehouse because Breton had screwed up the planning of her show. I believe Duchamp also got her painting "The Frame" permanently displayed in La Louvre.
So, when I saw this little book, I was hoping to glean more dirt on what Duchamp thought of his contemporaries in the Cubist, Dadaism and Surrealist movements. Since it is a book of direct quotes, I knew I would learn more about him as a man and an artist. I was left with two impressions: 1. Marcel appeared to be every bit the gentleman Frida described. 2. Marcel had very little to say about his contemporaries. I did learn that he respected the pop art artists of the 1960's, specifically, Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, and that he never took his art seriously in the sense that it was simply something he enjoyed for the sake of enjoyment.
We often think of the masters as bigger than life saints who are untouchable as far as talent, intellect and experience. However, in reality, they held themselves in much higher esteem than the the general public. Marcel seemed refreshingly humble and human in this interview. He scoffed at fame and money as unnecessary by-products of what he truly loved doing. His words reflected a kind, generous man who would do anything to help a colleague. Now, I want to read his biography. I think it is there that I will find his true place in history.
So, when I saw this little book, I was hoping to glean more dirt on what Duchamp thought of his contemporaries in the Cubist, Dadaism and Surrealist movements. Since it is a book of direct quotes, I knew I would learn more about him as a man and an artist. I was left with two impressions: 1. Marcel appeared to be every bit the gentleman Frida described. 2. Marcel had very little to say about his contemporaries. I did learn that he respected the pop art artists of the 1960's, specifically, Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, and that he never took his art seriously in the sense that it was simply something he enjoyed for the sake of enjoyment.
We often think of the masters as bigger than life saints who are untouchable as far as talent, intellect and experience. However, in reality, they held themselves in much higher esteem than the the general public. Marcel seemed refreshingly humble and human in this interview. He scoffed at fame and money as unnecessary by-products of what he truly loved doing. His words reflected a kind, generous man who would do anything to help a colleague. Now, I want to read his biography. I think it is there that I will find his true place in history.
March 18, 2023
This slight volume takes less than an hour to read but my Duchamp obsession knows no bounds so I snatched it up greedily. The interviewer Calvin Tomkins wrote the definitive biography on Duchamp and it is definitely worth reading. There are obvious gems here but if you aren’t a Duchampian stan, this book is overkill.
He has interesting things to say about taste. ‘Bad, good or indifferent, I don’t care. You don’t have to be happy or unhappy about it, you see? That’s the trouble; taste can’t help you understand what art can be.’
Duchamp wanted the spectator, the viewer of art to stop considering what they like when they see a work of art. He is asking people to open up more fully to art than that. Of course one will only relate to art that gets under ones’ skin or stirs one up. This isn’t about taste. This is about a deeper connection which is what he believed art could be. Art can pose questions. That is the essence of the Readymades. Is a signed, displayed urinal art or not? No such fundamental question will be posed by even the best Impressionist landscape.
Another great quote: ‘Chance is the only way to avoid the control of the rational.’ Duchamp champions the irrational but if there is no thought at all, there is nothing to bounce the chance against so his art isn’t sloppy. Duchamp put great care and precision into what he made but he wasn’t afraid of having it impacted by the unpredictable. With the Large Glass, it was shattered and so he spent months recreating the work and now the cracks add to the mystery and the depth of the work.
He has interesting things to say about taste. ‘Bad, good or indifferent, I don’t care. You don’t have to be happy or unhappy about it, you see? That’s the trouble; taste can’t help you understand what art can be.’
Duchamp wanted the spectator, the viewer of art to stop considering what they like when they see a work of art. He is asking people to open up more fully to art than that. Of course one will only relate to art that gets under ones’ skin or stirs one up. This isn’t about taste. This is about a deeper connection which is what he believed art could be. Art can pose questions. That is the essence of the Readymades. Is a signed, displayed urinal art or not? No such fundamental question will be posed by even the best Impressionist landscape.
Another great quote: ‘Chance is the only way to avoid the control of the rational.’ Duchamp champions the irrational but if there is no thought at all, there is nothing to bounce the chance against so his art isn’t sloppy. Duchamp put great care and precision into what he made but he wasn’t afraid of having it impacted by the unpredictable. With the Large Glass, it was shattered and so he spent months recreating the work and now the cracks add to the mystery and the depth of the work.
September 30, 2023
Just know that you can appreciate the art without knowing anything about the artist. In fact, most of the time that is best.
Duchamp is a contrarian. He's not impressed with art, Dada, Pop, Cubism, chess, writing, and on and on. He does enjoy some artists, although he finds conversation in general to be tedious. For the most part he talks about why he is not impressed with things, and I guess I was hoping for more elucidation. Instead, he seems to be very much like a few of my friends who can be difficult to do anything with because they don't like anything.
It is enjoyable to read his views of his own artwork, even though you find that he doesn't place much value in most of it. Nude Ascending Staircase you learn is what he views as his most pivotal work, mentioning it several times, as well as Coffee Mill. The Fountain, the artwork that is viewed by many as the most influential artwork of the 20th century, is barely mentioned. Bicycle Wheel is discussed more, and he does seem to still love it, although he avers it is just because he enjoys the motion.
Read this if you want to understand him better. But know that understanding the artist does not alway make you understand or appreciate the art more.
Duchamp is a contrarian. He's not impressed with art, Dada, Pop, Cubism, chess, writing, and on and on. He does enjoy some artists, although he finds conversation in general to be tedious. For the most part he talks about why he is not impressed with things, and I guess I was hoping for more elucidation. Instead, he seems to be very much like a few of my friends who can be difficult to do anything with because they don't like anything.
It is enjoyable to read his views of his own artwork, even though you find that he doesn't place much value in most of it. Nude Ascending Staircase you learn is what he views as his most pivotal work, mentioning it several times, as well as Coffee Mill. The Fountain, the artwork that is viewed by many as the most influential artwork of the 20th century, is barely mentioned. Bicycle Wheel is discussed more, and he does seem to still love it, although he avers it is just because he enjoys the motion.
Read this if you want to understand him better. But know that understanding the artist does not alway make you understand or appreciate the art more.
August 2, 2018
made me smile many times. a conversation with a great mind in his later years, where he was full of acceptance of the world before him and the world he's helped ahead of him. never knew he was such a humble, laid-back person. very inspiring, but at times i became dismayed at the state we are at today with the commodification of...everything!
April 19, 2020
A quick but fascinating read. Duchamp is clearly at ease in Tomkins's presence, much to Teeny Duchamp's surprise. I loved the chapters on correspondence chess, and especially the last few pages where he describes Alfred Jarry as one of his 'gods'. According to Duchamp, he had been a pataphysician since 1942/43.
September 3, 2017
Reminded me of Duchamp's singularity as an artist... His influence is astounding, given the idiosyncrasy of his intentions. I tend to agree with his boredom at repeating himself & wish more artists felt the same...
March 10, 2021
Duchamp is the best and I love him so much and he is my favorite white male artist and I just LOVE HIM! He’s such a weird dude who literally didn’t try to be a revolutionary artist but ended up becoming one.
August 17, 2017
A too brief transcription of interviews between Tomkins and Duchamp. Duchamp comes across as endlessly fascinating. His humor comes through, as does his idiosyncratic views of art and artists.
August 30, 2018
“I don’t believe in art. I believe in the artist.” - Marcel Duchamp
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2018
4.5 stars
December 5, 2019
A good quick read
This is a good quick read and overview into the mind of Duchamp and his view of his creative process (or non-process).
This is a good quick read and overview into the mind of Duchamp and his view of his creative process (or non-process).
May 6, 2021
marcel duchamp could talk about anything and it would be interesting. His way of viewing art and the world in general is so different, especially since its made in the mid 1900s? So well spoken
Want to read
July 8, 2021Mentioned in laws of power speaking with less words gives more power, Andy Warhol studied him
February 10, 2022
To my mind the most interesting thinker of the 20th century.
May 21, 2022
o maior de todos esqueça
April 6, 2023
Very interesting and I love the way Duchamp sees things and the whole art world.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews