In June 1912 Marcel Duchamp left Paris for a solitary sojourn in the Bavarian capital Munich; he was twenty-five.
Earlier this year, in March 18th, the day of the press preview of the Salon des Indépendants, Duchamp had received the unexpected visit from his brothers Villon and Duchamp-Villon. The hanging committee was not pleased with Duchamp’s participation with th Nude descending a Staircase and asked hiv at least to change the title. The title though was written in capital lettersa at the bottom left hand corner of the canvas. He immediately withdrew the painting from the Salon and felt an urge to distance himself from his environment.
The choice of Munich was not an arbitrary one; his friend Max Bergmann, whom had met in Paris two years before, was there to guide him.
In Munich Duchamp worked vehemently and produced among many drawings two of his most significant oil paintings, the Bride and The Passage from Virgin to Bride.
Artist Kendell Geers, a pivotal figure in contemporary African art, has conducted an extensive research regarding this crucial year in Duchamp’s career. The findings of Geers research are unveiled through Duchamp’s Endgame, a fascinating book published by Wilde in partnership with Fonds Mercator and Yale University Press and The Oculist Witness, an exhibition currently running at Wilde Gallery, Basel.
