It seems Duchamp asked himself the same question. In 1920, after threatening to abandon the art world and study chess full time, he wrote, “Naturally this is the part of my life that I enjoy most.” His love of chess is evident in his work: The figures in The Large Glass recall rooks arranged carefully on a board. Duchamp wished to fuse art and chess. The popular opinion, espoused by historians, proposes that Duchamp saw the art world as a This story is from Kinfolk Issue Twenty-Two Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 47 Thanks, I Hate It How to give feedback to art friends. Arts & Culture Issue 46 Puff Piece On inflatable art. Arts & Culture Issue 44 Hannah Traore The art world's next big thing is a gallerist. Arts & Culture Issue 43 The Sellout On the moral maze of art and money. Arts & Culture Issue 43 Signal Boost How status anxiety drives culture. Arts & Culture Issue 42 Dream House The rise of renderporn.