Marcel Broodthaers: Strategy and Dialogue

This thesis examines the work of Marcel Broodthaers (1924-76). It analyses why and how he became an artist, and considers his witty and ironic strategy for success. It explores his relationship with his contemporaries and predecessors, in 19th century French poetry, Surrealism, Pop and Conceptual Art. By making a conscious decision to become an artist, Broodthaers responded to, and commented upon, dominant movements of the period. He constantly referred to other artists and poets, for example Mallarme, Baudelaire and Magritte, thereby bringing 19th century themes into the 20th century. In drawing upon his own background as a poet, he developed word-image and word-object concepts initiated by Magritte. In turn, these related to a use of language in what later became known as Conceptual Art. This thesis provides a broad analysis of Broodthaers' work as a whole. It examines his questioning approach, and his rejection of conventional definitions to demonstrate their instability. By ...