Portrait of Marcel Lefrancois by Duchamp in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, January 2012

Portrait of Marcel Lefrançois

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

Geography: Made in France, Europe

Date: 1904

Medium: Oil on canvas

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

Copyright: © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris / Estate of Marcel Duchamp

Curatorial Department: Modern Art

Object Location: Currently not on view

Accession Number: 1950-134-80

Credit Line: The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950

Label:
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."

Text from: www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/51644.html?mulR=526220814|209