French artist Marcel Duchamp, known for his notorious 1912 painting Nude Descending a Staircase, first arrived in New York in the summer of 1915. Despite a language barrier, he and Man Ray quickly recognized one another as kindred spirits and a lifelong friendship ensued. Duchamp's rejection of the artist's role as tastemaker and his fascination with unusual media dovetailed with Man Ray's developing artistic philosophy, and the two collaborated on several projects. Their desire to foster and promote progressive art led them to found the Société Anonyme with collector Katherine Dreier in 1920.