A Telegram from Marcel Duchamp - by David Prowler (Paperback)

About the Book

A witty and accessible introduction to the thoughts of artist Marcel Duchamp.

Book Synopsis

In 1947 Marcel Duchamp sent a telegram from NYC to Paris and in 1990 David Prowler found it in a bookstore in San Francisco, launching a treasure hunt for Duchamp's life, thoughts, and art.

Now back in print, A Telegram From Marcel Duchamp brings Duchamp's essence to life.

Duchamp is generally considered the most influential artist of the 20th Century. But he was also a great thinker, and A Telegram From Marcel Duchamp is a seriously fun introduction to his thoughts.

It's got something for everyone: How to draw a giraffe, Ernest Hemingway, multiple choice quizzes, theories on the suicide of Arshile Gorky, Hedy Lamarr, visionary architect Frederick Kiesler, and a selection of Surrealist superstitions -all seen through the keyhole of the Telegram.

Duchamp believed in Chance - but not in Belief. He sought out things with "a total absence of good or bad taste". He celebrated everyday objects and gave us a new way to look at the world around us, inspiring generations of artists.

A Telegram From Marcel Duchamp "prompts the reader to reflect upon - and experience directly - the artist's thought. An artful, witty little book. We finally feel challenged, satisfied and perhaps somewhat enlightened." Artweek

It's:

"entertaining " Allen Ginsberg

"delightful ...the whole of it has a fine Duchampian irony ". Calvin Tomkins

"a gem" Mark Polizzotti, author of Why Surrealism Matters

It's "quirky and charming, exactly in the spirit of the Maestro " Donald Quaintance, author, Duchamp in California: Walter Hopps Curates a Retrospective

It's "stimulating" according to Arturo Schwarz, author of The Complete Works of Marcel Duchamp

And Mme. Duchamp "enjoyed it a lot".

The book will find an audience in fans of art, Duchampians, and anyone looking for a playful mix of images and text.

Release of the expanded and redesigned 2026 edition is timed to coincide with major Duchamp retrospectives at the Museum of Modern Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Paris' Grand Palais.

Review Quotes

Praise for A Telegram from Marcel Duchamp:

I enjoyed it very much. Alexina Teeny Duchamp

Delightful...the whole of it has a fine Duchampian irony. Calvin Tomkins, author of Duchamp: A Biography

Prompts the reader to reflect upon - and experience directly - the artist's thought. An artful, witty little book. We finally feel challenged, satisfied and perhaps somewhat enlightened. Artweek

Entertaining Allen Ginsberg

Stimulating Arturo Schwarz, author of The Complete Works of Marcel Duchamp

I love the book, Marcel would have enjoyed it. Charles Simic, U.S Poet Laureate, author of Dime Store Alchemy, The Art of Joseph Cornell

Quirky and charming, exactly in the spirit of the Maestro Donald Quaintance, author, Duchamp in California: Walter Hopps Curates a Retrospective

A gem, Mark Polizzotti, author of Why Surrealism Matters