Duchamp @ Pompidou

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last century (and I say this because my brother evidently had been) you will be familiar with Marcel Duchamp as the father of conceptual art. Duchamp changed the art world when he put his ‘fountain’ (the urinal) into a gallery in 1917. He is most famous for his ‘ready-mades.’ As a viewer, you either love or hate non-representational art. Duchamp is not known for drawing or painting, and many are probably of the opinion that the artist has no skill at all as a draughtsman. However, a new exhibition at the Pompidou Centre in Paris is certain to change your perception of the Frenchman.

The advertisements for the Duchamp exhibition around Paris display the famous graffiti-ed ‘LHOOQ’ Mona Lisa. Before going into the gallery, any visitor would be forgiven for expecting a display of the artist’s visual jokes and a…