Monday History

Marcel Duchamp

Fountain, 1917 (reproduced in 1964)

Readymade Sculpture

What better piece to help stretch the question of "What is Art?" than the infamous readymade Fountain, "created" by Marcel Duchamp for the 1917 Armory Show in Manhattan - a show that advertised that all works would be accepted. The only thing that Duchamp actually created in this piece was the pseudonym that he signed - "R. Mutt 1917," which he painted directly onto an existing urinal.  The Armory refused to show this piece in the exhibit - but the mere existence of this piece has been a hot topic of many debates over the definition of art.  The original was lost, but Duchamp created a series of replicas in 1950 and 1964, all of which have been valued at well over $1,000,000.

Follow this link to learn more about Fountain

Find 3 more readymades by Duchamp and respond to them in your books. What makes them works of art? What impact did these pieces have on the art world?

As always keep your ideas fresh and your pencils sharp! I look forward to your responses!
-Denner