MoMA Hosts Marcel Duchamp Lookalike Contest for Retrospective

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York is capitalizing on the viral lookalike contest trend with an event tied to its Marcel Duchamp retrospective. On 30 April, visitors are invited to dress as Duchamp or his alter ego Rrose Sélavy for an evening of DJ sets, choreography, and pop-up bars in the museum's lobby, as part of the Artist Party series. The contest follows a wave of lookalike events that began in October 2024 with a Timothée Chalamet contest in Washington Square Park, and have since included Paul Mescal, Jeremy Allen White, Zendaya, and Luigi Mangione. Unlike those grassroots gatherings, MoMA's event has strict rules: no masks, hats, or facepaint that conceal the face, and no costumes extending more than 30cm beyond the body or above the head. The $15 admission fee and indoor venue also distinguish it from free public-space events. The retrospective opened on 12 April and runs until 22 August. Duchamp's female alter ego Rrose Sélavy first appeared in 1920, with the second 'r' added in 1921 when she signed Francis Picabia's collage L'Oeil Cacodylate.