In 1912, the artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) began to question his occupation. He decided at the age of twenty-five to abandon the craft of oil painting. He also strove to make himself aloof from the art world in order to work as he pleased. Duchamp went on to become one of the most innovative and original figures in the history of modern art. Across six decades, he was associated with Cubism, Dada, and Surrealism.