Duchamp was a chess-playing fool.
Marcel Duchamp plays white, John Cage plays black, on a chessboard modified to generate tones depending on where the chess pieces are. Toronto, 1968. Teeny Duchamp at far left, cameraman in the background. This was a performance.
Composer John Cage sought him out in Duchamp’s last years, and made a point of meeting with the artist at least once a week. Cage experimented with a chessboard designed to generate music depending on the positions of the chess pieces on the board (hence, the wires). This photo came from a performance at a festival in Toronto in 1968.
More:
- Many more details of the wonderful friendship between Cage and Duchamp, built on chess, featuring Salvador Dali, at Tout-fait
- Duchamp vs. Man Ray on a rooftop
- Duchamp against anonymous, with links to paintings by John Cage and Duchamp versus a nude woman
- Chessbase story on the 50th anniversary of the game, “Reunion”
Posted by Ed Darrell 
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