Known for his avant-garde experimentation, Marcel Duchamp was one of the seminal figures of 20th century art. Duchamp embraced Cubism, merging the technique with his own sensibilities to arrive at something uniquely Duchamp. His "Nude Descending a Staircase'(1912) caused a sensation when it was shown in the US in 1913. His creative output laid the foundation, in large part, for the development of pop art. Duchamp "retired" from painting in 1923 and devoted himself, it is said, to the pursuit of chess.