Alexina Duchamp
Encyclopedia
Alexina "Teeny" Duchamp (1906 – 1995) was the second wife of artist and chess player, Marcel Duchamp
.
in 1906. The youngest daughter of prominent surgeon Robert Sattler, Alexina was nicknamed "Teeny" by her mother because of her low birth weight
.
Paris and marriage to Pierre Matisse
Sattler went to Paris
to study art in 1921 and there she first met Marcel Duchamp
in 1923 at a ball given in her honor by Mariette Mills, the mother of a close friend. In 1929 Teeny married Pierre Matisse
, the eldest son of Fauve
artist Henri Matisse
. They had three children: Jacqueline, Paul
, and Peter. In 1949 Pierre and Teeny separated due to Pierre's infidelity with Patricia Matta. She received in the subsequent divorce settlement many important paintings.
She worked for a time as an agent/broker for artists such as Constantin Brâncuşi
and Joan Miró
.
New York and marriage to Marcel Duchamp
In the autumn of 1951 she was invited by Dorothea Tanning
to go on a weekend trip. It was on that trip that she once again met Duchamp, and romance developed shortly thereafter. They were both avid chess
players. Teeny and Duchamp married in New York City
on January 16, 1954. They were together until his death in 1968.
Marcel Duchamp
Marcel Duchamp was a French artist whose work is most often associated with the Dadaist and Surrealist movements. Considered by some to be one of the most important artists of the 20th century, Duchamp's output influenced the development of post-World War I Western art...
.
Background
She was born Alexina Sattler in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
in 1906. The youngest daughter of prominent surgeon Robert Sattler, Alexina was nicknamed "Teeny" by her mother because of her low birth weight
Low birth weight
Low birth weight is defined as a birth weight of a liveborn infant of less than 2,500 g. regardless of gestational age-Causes:LBW is either the result of preterm birth or of the infant being small for gestational age , or a combination of...
.
Paris and marriage to Pierre MatissePierre MatissePierre Matisse was an art dealer active in New York City. He was the youngest child of French painter Henri Matisse.-Background and early years:...
Sattler went to ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to study art in 1921 and there she first met Marcel Duchamp
Marcel Duchamp
Marcel Duchamp was a French artist whose work is most often associated with the Dadaist and Surrealist movements. Considered by some to be one of the most important artists of the 20th century, Duchamp's output influenced the development of post-World War I Western art...
in 1923 at a ball given in her honor by Mariette Mills, the mother of a close friend. In 1929 Teeny married Pierre Matisse
Pierre Matisse
Pierre Matisse was an art dealer active in New York City. He was the youngest child of French painter Henri Matisse.-Background and early years:...
, the eldest son of Fauve
Fauvism
Fauvism is the style of les Fauves , a short-lived and loose group of early twentieth-century Modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the representational or realistic values retained by Impressionism...
artist Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter...
. They had three children: Jacqueline, Paul
Paul Matisse
Paul Matisse is an artist and inventor. He is known especially for his public art installations, many of which are interactive. He is also inventor of the Kalliroscope....
, and Peter. In 1949 Pierre and Teeny separated due to Pierre's infidelity with Patricia Matta. She received in the subsequent divorce settlement many important paintings.
She worked for a time as an agent/broker for artists such as Constantin Brâncuşi
Constantin Brancusi
Constantin Brâncuşi was a Romanian-born sculptor who made his career in France. As a child he displayed an aptitude for carving wooden farm tools. Formal studies took him first to Bucharest, then to Munich, then to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris...
and Joan Miró
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
.
New York and marriage to Marcel DuchampMarcel DuchampMarcel Duchamp was a French artist whose work is most often associated with the Dadaist and Surrealist movements. Considered by some to be one of the most important artists of the 20th century, Duchamp's output influenced the development of post-World War I Western art...
In the autumn of 1951 she was invited by Dorothea TanningDorothea Tanning
Dorothea Tanning is an American painter, printmaker, sculptor and writer. She has also designed sets and costumes for ballet and theatre.-Biography:...
to go on a weekend trip. It was on that trip that she once again met Duchamp, and romance developed shortly thereafter. They were both avid chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
players. Teeny and Duchamp married in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on January 16, 1954. They were together until his death in 1968.