The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors

The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even, often known as The Large Glass, was conceptualized by Marcel Duchamp between 1915 and 1923. It represents a radical departure from traditional painting, utilizing oil, varnish, lead foil, and dust on two panes of glass. The work serves as the definitive expression of Duchamp’s interest in mechanical eroticism and the intersection of chance and logic, functioning as a complex visual puzzle that defies singular interpretation.

Duchamp designed the piece with a focus on 'erotic machinery,' blending industrial drafting techniques with philosophical inquiry. Its reception was initially marked by confusion, yet it became a cornerstone of Dadaism and later influenced Conceptual art profoundly. After sustaining a major crack during transit in 1926, Duchamp chose to embrace the damage as a permanent element of the work, reflecting his philosophy that art should be subject to the entropy of time and circumstance.