It's called Dancing Around the Bride and it explores the work of five artists….four American masters and the man who inspired them all, Marcel Duchamp.
Carlos Basualdo, Exhibition Curator said, "Marcel Duchamp is one of the most influential artists of the 20th century."
The exhibit is the first to show how he influenced American culture in the post war period and some of the country's greatest avant-garde artists of that time…. from the musician John Cage to choreographer Merce Cunningham and visual artists Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg.
"It's called Dancing Around the Bride because they're literally dancing around one figure—one of the protagonists of Marcel Duchamp's masterpiece "The Large Glass," and it represents the interactions between a bride and her bachelors," said Basualdo.
The exhibit includes works on loan from around the world….some never before shown in this country. In addition to traditional paintings and sculptures, there's also a live set, a soundtrack that plays throughout, and even a section dedicated to the game of chess.
Dancing around the Bride also showcases live dancers from the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, with performances every weekend.
The museum is home to the largest Duchamp collection in the world and the artists featured in this exhibit have a special Philadelphia connection.
Basualdo added, "The museum was the site of their encounter in many ways because they first came, Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg came to Philadelphia at the end of the '50s. And it was that seminal encounter with the work that enabled them to develop a personal relationship with Duchamp."
The exhibit runs through January 21st. For tickets and the live dance performances schedule, go to Philadelphia Museum of Art.