Two of a kind

Even as Baruchello began getting recognized for his work in the 1960s, he was increasingly fascinated by Duchamp and his thinking, and dreamt of meeting him one day. One September day in 1962, Baruchello came to know that Duchamp was expected to lunch at a certain restaurant in Milan. Baruchello took the first available flight to Milan, heading straight to the restaurant on arrival.

"Marcel welcomed me and invited me to join the table," recalls Baruchello. "This is when I met him the very first time and out of my incredible audacity, our friendship (began)."

Later, Duchamp would curate one of Baruchello's exhibitions and help with a few more. They did not co-create anything, but often worked on similar ideas. It was a true meeting of minds which would eventually lead Baruchello to be named by Duchamp as his artistic heir.

To Baruchello, Duchamp was a powerful example of being a non-conformist who was unafraid to break free of accepted traditions. Duchamp invited all artists "to not recognise limits to the desire of bringing up new languages, nor to simply look for money and/or compromises," recalls Baruchello.

Fifty years after his death, one of Duchamp's teachings still resonates strongly with Baruchello: "Do what you want to do, everything is possible."

(HK Edition 09/15/2017 page10)