Marcel Duchamp

Marcel Duchamp worked on this piece, The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even, for eight years. After all that time that he spent on it, he did not feel it was complete. The materials used in this piece are two glass panels, fuse wire, dust, lead foil, paint, and mirror plating. During a move, the glass panels were dropped, causing them to break. Duchamp liked the breaks and decided to keep them as part of the work. The abstract installation makes viewers become entranced, unable to see enough. First, you see the entire object as one. Then at a second look, each individual component is examined. Interpretations are made and changed several times. It is hard to be satisfied with your first thoughts of this piece. Even the title of the piece makes the viewers think differently about it then their own instincts urge them to.

Works Consulted:

Stafford, Andrew. "1923: The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even - Also known as The Large Glass." Making Sense of Marcel Duchamp. 2006. 11 Nov 2007 .