Taking a refreshingly objective look at Duchamp's real contribution to modern art, this gorgeous hardbound volume explores his myriad personal relations, his creation of major works, his passion for chess and his presumed abandonment of painting. It also moves beyond Duchamp's diffident mask to explore the passions and insecurities that motivated his artistic and personal evolutions, separating the artist from the con artist, to determine how profound an influence he has been. Based on first-hand interviews, the book also includes almost 100 gorgeous illustrations.