Throughout the ages many have claimed that chess is art form, including chess players. Many artists, both past and present regarded or still regard chess and art as being strongly interconnected and have used this ancient board game as a theme or as a metaphor in their work. For the notorious early twentieth century artist Marcel Duchamp, the theme of chess was a recurring motif in his work throughout his career. Duchamp was a firm believer in the notion of chess being an art form. He famously stated that:
“I have come to the conclusion that while all artists are not chess players, all chess players are artists.” – Marcel Duchamp
Artist Tom Hackney, a contemporary artist who collaborated with Purling to create a stunning Art Chess set “Retinal Chess” for our solo exhibition, is someone whose work is steeped in chess and the chess games of artist Marcel Dunchamp.
Watch the “Master of the Arts” broadcast by World Chess Hall of Fame, featuring Grandmaster Varuzhan Akobian interviewing gallery owner and Marcel Duchamp scholar, Francis Naumann about chess, art, Marcel Duchamp and Tom Hackney’s exhibition “Corresponding Squares – Painting the Chess Games of Marcel Duchamp”, which was held at World Chess Hall of Fame, Saint. Louis.
