Prière de toucher! Tactilism in Early Modern and Contemporary Art

Recent technological developments such as touch screens have provided an enormous impetus to the use of tactile elements in daily life and art. Even at the beginning of the twentieth century, however, noted artists such as F.T. Marinetti and Marcel Duchamp created works of art in which touch played an essential role. In this article, a selection of examples will demonstrate the aesthetic qualities inherent to the sense of touch, ultimately leading to a provisional categorization of tactile art.