Portrait of Marcel Lefrançois

Due to Parkway Activities, museum access will be affected Apr. 4 — Apr. 6.

Currently not on view

Portrait of Marcel Lefrançois

1904

Marcel Duchamp (American (born France), 1887–1968)

Duchamp regarded this portrait as an attempt to move beyond his earlier interest in the work of Claude Monet and Impressionism: "This portrait of a young friend of mine was already a reaction against the Impressionist influence. In this painting I wanted to try out a technique of the Renaissance painters consisting in painting first a very precise black and white oil and then, after it was thoroughly dry, adding thin layers of transparent colors. This technique of precision was deliberately in contrast with my first attempts at oil painting and it helped me to keep my freedom of development instead of sticking to one formula."

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Portrait of Marcel Lefrançois

Date:

1904

Artist:

Marcel Duchamp (American (born France), 1887–1968)

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

25 5/8 x 23 15/16 inches (65.1 x 60.8 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950

Accession Number:

1950-134-80

Geography:

Made in France, Europe

Provenance

We are always open to learning more about our collections and updating the website. Does this record contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? Contact us here.

Please note that this particular artwork might not be on view when you visit. Don’t worry—we have plenty of exhibitions for you to explore.

Currently not on view

More like this:

1/12