Fact Finder - Arts and Literature

Fact
Marcel Duchamp and the Readymade
Category
Arts and Literature
Subcategory
Writers Painters and Poets
Country
France/USA
Description
Marcel Duchamp changed the course of art history by suggesting that an artist's idea is more important than their technical skill. In 1917, he submitted a porcelain urinal titled 'Fountain' to an exhibition, signed with the pseudonym 'R. Mutt.' He called this a 'readymade'—an ordinary, mass-produced object that becomes art simply because the artist chooses it and places it in a gallery context. 'Fountain' was rejected by the committee, but it sparked a revolution, leading to the birth of Conceptual Art. Duchamp wanted to move away from 'retinal art' (art meant only to please the eye) and toward art that served the mind. His influence can be seen in everything from Pop Art to contemporary installations, as he forced the world to ask the fundamental question: 'What is art?'