The last full Duchamp retrospective in North America landed in 1973, which makes this the first chance most people alive have had to see the whole arc in one place. It runs six decades and every medium he touched, from early painting into the readymades, films and printed matter, organized by MoMA's Ann Temkin and Michelle Kuo with the Philadelphia Art Museum. It closes before the end of August, so this is the last weekend without a closing-week crush.
What to expect
A large, chronological run through the Cohen Center's special exhibition galleries, dense with small objects and printed matter that reward slow looking. Expect crowds around the famous readymades and much lighter traffic in the rooms of drawings, notes and film.
Good to know
- Closing-week attendance climbs sharply, so an early entry slot is worth the alarm
- E and M to Fifth Avenue-53rd Street is the shortest walk to the door
- Much of the work is small and text-heavy, so give yourself more time than the room count suggests
- Timed-entry reservations are the norm at MoMA and sell out on weekends
- There is a separate Duchamp presentation running uptown at a gallery, which is not this show
- Bag check is required for larger bags before you enter the special exhibition galleries
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Common questions
When was the last Duchamp retrospective in North America?
1973, co-organized by MoMA and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This is the first comparable survey since.
Where in the museum is it installed?
In the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Center for Special Exhibitions at MoMA.
Is this the same as the Duchamp show at Gagosian?
No. Gagosian is running a separate Duchamp presentation uptown on Madison Avenue; they are two different exhibitions.
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