Transnational Surrealism

Marcel Duchamp is today considered one of the most significant 20th century artists worldwide. His far-reaching influence is visible within a variety of areas of creative production and critical inquiry, extending far beyond the world of art. Duchamp Accelerated: Contemporary Perspectives examines Duchamp and his reception through a series of essays that explore the ongoing impacts of his life, ideas and practice on innumerable fields of research, practice and study. Contributors include art historians, curators, artists and writers who offer histories and approaches that actively challenge dominant narratives on Duchamp, discussing his influences from a multitude of different disciplinary and cultural perspectives. Written in the specific context of the 21st century, this volume situates the artist firmly in a global context and highlights the numerous influences – from theories of perception and the writings of Georges Bataille, to travels in Argentina – that shaped his ideas and art.

This volume pushes current understandings of Duchamp beyond existing limits by accelerating the histories, encounters, dialogues and interpretations of his practice, with a focus on contemporary perspectives. The ''accelerated'' Duchamp that emerges from this analysis is one who not only speeds up notions of art in relation to cultural and political histories, but one whose practice is actively informing future developments in the worlds of art and material culture today.