Marcel Duchamp and the meaning of art

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Is it art? The works of Marcel Duchamp

This stately Georgian home in Washington, D.C., is filled to the brim with art. But its owners may be hard-pressed to describe the artworks’ visual qualities. “They’re not beautiful,” said Aaron Levine. “It’s not pretty. Nothing here is pretty!”

Aaron and Barbara Levine’s home contains cutting-edge contemporary works by the likes of Bruce Nauman, Marina Abramović, and Andy Warhol.

Correspondent Rita Braver asked, “You just thought it would be really fun to have a lot of pictures of Chairman Mao?”

Aaron replied, “He’s a great colorist!”

A bevy of Warhol Maos, at the Levines’ home. CBS News

It’s all assembled by a pair of quirky octogenarians. Aaron Levine is a personal Injury lawyer. Barbara Levine is a former schoolteacher and mother of three. Just don’t DARE call them collectors. “I hate the word collector,” said Barbara.

Aaron does, too: “Has to do with money.”

Barbara said, “I buy what I love, okay? I buy what talks to me. I buy what makes me feel emotional and loving. I don’t buy it because it fits into my collection.”

Collection or not, right now some of the Levines’ most important works are not on the walls of their home, but at the Hirshhorn Museum, the Smithsonian’s showcase for Modern Art. They have bequeathed the museum one of the most important privately-owned troves of the work of Marcel Duchamp, the French-born iconoclast who redefined the very idea of what makes art.

Braver looked at Duchamp’s 1916 work “Comb” – basically a metal dog comb.

“Comb” by Marcel Duchamp consists of a dog comb (and now, an expensive one). CBS News

“It has absolutely no aesthetic value,” Aaron said. “If you found it in the gutter, you wouldn’t even take it out.”

“So, then why did you pay a lot of money to own it?” asked Braver.

“Because it’s a Duchampian statement that art may not be pretty. He’s trying to get into your head.”

Born in Normandy in 1887 to a family of traditional painters, Duchamp would cause a sensation when his modernist painting, “Nude Descending a Staircase,” was rejected by an important Parisian Art Show in 1912.

“Nude on a Staircase” by Marcel Duchamp. Aaron and Barbara Levine/Hirshhorn Museum

“The fact that viewers probably found it hard to see a nude, or a staircase, in it had something to do with its initial rejection,” said Hirshhorn director Melissa Chu.

But Chu said the painting was a huge hit when he showed it at the famed New York Amory show a year later.

Braver said, “This was really the work that started his reputation in the United States.”

“Yes, and probably helped him to make his decision to stay here in this country,” said Chu.

This version of “Nude,” part of the Levines’ gift, is actually a copy, authorized by Duchamp. He never put much stock in originals.

One of his most famous and outrageous acts involved painting a mustache on copies of Leonardo da Vinci’s revered “Mona Lisa.”

Duchamp’s reproduction of the “Mona Lisa,” with added facial hair. Aaron and Barbara Levine/Hirshhorn Museum

He provoked the art world even more in 1917, with “Fountain,” a urinal he signed with a pseudonym, “R. Mutt.” It was the first of the everyday objects he would later call “readymades.”

In a 1966 British TV documentary, “Rebel Ready Made,” Duchamp said, “The definition of a readymade is, the choice of the artist is enough to transfer it from a functional or industrial form into – supposed to be aesthetic but very different from aesthetic in general.”

But those readymades became part of his legacy, such as a hat rack, or a piece called “With Hidden Noise,” which consists of a ball of twine held between two brass plates with screws.

“And what is it? It’s nothing. It’s a ball of string!” said Aaron. “About a dollar-and-a-half in a hardware store. And then he encases it. What’s he doing? He’s departing, he’s dislocating. He’s getting you to wonder what the hell’s going on!”

“It’s worked – I am wondering that very thing!” Braver laughed.

Correspondent Rita Braver with Barbara and Aaron Levine, taking in a ball of string. CBS News

Duchamp’s work would influence everyone from Andy Warhol (with his soup cans) to Jeff Koons (his “New Hoover Convertibles,” a display of vacuum cleaners).

Melissa Chu said, “While most people think of Picasso and Matisse, actually it is Duchamp who is probably the most influential artist for younger artists today.”

And for Aaron and Barbara Levine, there is a joy in making sure that future generations will see work that continues to make people ask questions about the very meaning of art:

“What’s the artist saying? Where is he going? What’s that have to do with my perception? How dumb am I that it takes me so long?” Aaron said. “Those games are enticing.”

Is it art? Visitors to the Hirschhorn Museum examine objects by French artist Marcel Duchamp. CBS News

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Story produced by Sara Kugel. Editor: Steven Tyler.

Nominees announced for the 2022 Prix Marcel Duchamp

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The prize is considered France’s most influential contemporary art award

Giulia Andreani, photo: Joseph Ballu, courtesy Galerie Max Hetzler; Iván Argote, photo: Claire Dorne; Mimosa Echard, photo: Camille Vivier; and Philippe Decrauzat, courtesy Praz Delavallade

Claude Bonnin, president of the Association for the International Diffusion of French Art (ADIAF), has announced the four nominees for the 2022 edition of the Prix Marcel Duchamp. They are Giulia Andreani, Iván Argote, Philippe Decrauzat and Mimosa Echard. The equivalent of the British Turner Prize, the award is given annually to an artist from or based in France and comes with a €35,000 cash prize. New work by the four finalists will also be presented in a collective exhibition at the Centre Pompidou, Paris, from 4 October 2022. The winner will be selected by an international jury and revealed on 17 October, during FIAC.

The shortlist reflects the mix of multidisciplinary and conceptual approaches that have defined recent editions, although it’s worth noting the prevalence of painting in the work of this year’s selection. Andreani is an Italian figurative painter based in Paris, whose work is based on archival research and is represented by Max Hetzler, Berlin, Paris and London. Swiss-born, Paris-based Decrauzat creates sculptural paintings that flirt with the tradition of Op art and is represented by Praz Delavallade. Based in Alès and represented by Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris, Echard makes ‘alchemical’ paintings made of recycled and often living material that tackle feminist and ecological themes. Argote, meanwhile, works across sculpture and video, creating often humorous, off-the-wall works that seek to challenge the viewer’s expectations and mainstream narratives; originally from Bogota, he now lives in Paris where he’s represented by Galerie Perrotin.

This week on “Sunday Morning” (January 16)

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Host: Jane Pauley

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Is it art? Visitors to the Hirschhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., examine objects by French modernist Marcel Duchamp. CBS News

ART: Marcel Duchamp and the meaning of art | Watch Video

The French-born artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) stirred controversy with his provocative pieces that questioned the very concept of what “art” actually is. Correspondent Rita Braver visits the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum for an exhibition of Duchamp’s “readymade” pieces that blur the distinction between utilitarian object and high-priced museum piece.

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Art Industry News: Protestor Attacks Notorious Statue at the BBC’s Headquarters That Drew the Ire of QAnon + Other Stories

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Art Industry News is a daily digest of the most consequential developments coming out of the art world and art market. Here’s what you need to know this Thursday, January 13.

NEED-TO-READ

MOCA Is Requiring Visitors to Wear Surgical (Non-Cloth) Masks – The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, has become one of the first major U.S. museums to ban cloth masks in a bid to improve public safety in its galleries. On Tuesday, amid the Omicron surge in Los Angeles, the museum upgraded its mask policy to require medical-grade face masks (N95, KF94, or KN95), posting on Twitter that “cloth masks are no longer acceptable.” (Los Angeles Times)

Travis Scott Sued Over Centaur Art – The French artist Mickaël Mehala (who also goes by Black Childish) is suing the rapper Travis Scott for hundreds of thousands of dollars in U.S. court for allegedly infringing his copyright. Mehala claims Scott stole his artwork depicting Scott as a centaur for the cover of his “Travis La Flame” compilation project. Scott’s lawyers have said the lawsuit is “frivolous and baseless” because the illustration for the compilation project was fan-made and uploaded to streaming services by fans, not Scott. (TMZ)

Man Attacks Statue at BBC Broadcasting Office – A protester took a hammer to a statue by Eric Gill at the BBC’s headquarters in London while another live-streamed a rant about the artist’s history of pedophilia. Diaries published after the death of the prominent early 20th-century British artist in 1940 revealed that he had sexually abused his daughters and the family dog. BBC officials said the presence of Gill’s sculpture, which was installed in 1933 and depicts Prospero and a partially naked Ariel from the Shakespeare play The Tempest, had been “an obsession” for far-right activists and conspiracy groups criticizing the broadcaster. (Guardian)

The Serpentine Finally Actually Removed the Sackler Name – After officially pivoting away from the controversial Sackler name and rebranding to Serpentine North last spring, the London gallery has finally removed the “Serpentine Sackler” lettering from above its entrance. (The Art Newspaper)

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Jean-Paul Engelen Named President of Americas at Phillips – Phillips auction house has promoted deputy chairman Jean-Paul Engelen to the newly created role of Americas president. Engelen will continue to oversee the contemporary art department as well as new responsibilities for business strategy in the U.S. and South America. (Press release)

London Gallery Weekend Will Go Ahead in 2022 – After its successful first edition last year, London Gallery Weekend will return from May 13–15, 2022, with a focus each day on central, south, or east London. New funding from Art Fund will enable regional institutions around the U.K. to send 20 curators to London for the event. Art Fund will also organize a focus group to explore how the museum and commercial gallery sectors can better support one another. (Press release)

Marcel Duchamp Prize Finalists Announced – The four finalists for France’s most prestigious art prize, the Prix Marcel Duchamp, have been announced. They are painter Giulia Andreani, sculptor Ivan Argote, multidisciplinary artist Mimosa Echard, and new-generation Op-artist Philippe Decrauzat. (Le Figaro)

Richard Klein Steps Down at Aldrich Contemporary – The exhibitions director at Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Connecticut, Richard Klein, is stepping down after 30 years to pursue independent projects. He will remain at the museum through June 2022 before departing to focus on creating and exhibiting his own work. (Artforum)

FOR ART’S SAKE

National Gallery to Stage Winslow Homer Show – London’s National Gallery will mount an exhibition of the great American realist painter Winslow Homer, who made his name as an artist-reporter during the American Civil War and whose stark imagery confronted leading issues facing the U.S. and its relationship with Europe and the Caribbean. The show opening in September 2022 will include more than 50 paintings, and it will be the first in-depth U.K. exhibition of an artist who is a household name in the U.S. (Guardian)

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How choreographer Justin Peck helped reimagine ‘West Side Story’ for the 21st century

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It takes some nerve to tackle a beloved artistic creation and make changes for new audiences. It’s kind of like painting a moustache on the Mona Lisa (which was in fact done, by dada-ist Marcel Duchamp in 1919, to much public amazement). But that’s exactly what’s been done with West Side Story: 64 years after its Broadway opening, and 60 years after its film version, some of the brightest lights in show business — including director Stephen Spielberg and writer Tony Kushner — have re-imagined the legendary musical. They’re following in the footsteps of the original work’s creators: composer Leonard Bernstein, lyricist Stephan Sondheim, book author Arthur Laurents and stage director and choreographer Jerome Robbins.

If you’re a fan of the original 1961 film, you may ask: How dare they tinker with such a classic? But, as Spielberg’s choreographer Justin Peck says, “they approached this with a sense of reverence and admiration for the original.” As did Peck, the resident choreographer for the distinguished New York City Ballet, who has designed 35 dances for stage.

As is the case with Spielberg, this is Peck’s first movie musical — and his first movie, period. Luckily, he had Spielberg to guide him; the two worked closely together. And Peck was fascinated, watching the director read pages of words on the screenplay, “and immediately transpos[ing] that into visual language.” Spielberg made quick, crude sketches like storyboards to show what he wanted the camera to see. Peck adjusted his dancers accordingly. That was the most exciting part for Peck — discovering “how visual [Spielberg] was as an artist.”

There were times it wasn’t easy. 100-degree days filming on killer hot New York city streets. The dancers and crew of West Side Story often had to perform on broiling cement, concrete, bricks and stairs. Peck says everybody pushed along together, in sweaty chaos. Meanwhile, Spielberg was in heaven. “I remember Stephen turning to me at one point and saying, ’there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than here right now, working on this,’” Peck says.

Onstage in 1957 and in the 1961 film, Jerome Robbins’ dances for the rival gangs and their girls were all attitude: snapping fingers, flashing teeth, flicking of skirts, tossing of heads. Justin Peck knows that original choreography cold; he danced the role of Sharks leader Bernardo when he was younger. But for this updated version, he makes the dances more menacing.

Each gang has its own movements. The newly arrived Puerto Rican Sharks swagger, scorning the Jets. But instead of swagger, the Jets are more complicated. Dancing close together, they move as one. “There’s a kind of explosiveness,” Peck says. “And a danger, and a unity.”

The Jets’ steps show their bond, which gives them security, and you can see it in how they move. “They’re being pushed out of this neighborhood,” Peck says. “They don’t have jobs, they don’t have a sense of what the future holds. All they have is one another and the kind of ‘family’ they consider their gang to be.”

Like the choreography, West Side Story’s musical creators, composer Leonard Bernstein and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, reflect all this tension in their songs. In “America,” — a spirited, hilarious fight song — the Sharks argue the merits of their new home, versus the tropical island they left behind. One lyric: I’ll get a washing machine. What have they got there to keep clean!?

The argument becomes the dance. “As the tension rises, " says Justin Peck, “and the pressure between them gets higher, when words fail and there needs to be steam let off, it lifts off into dance.” The movement continues the story. And it all comes together, sweeping the original tale, based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, into a new century.