description Fountain (Duchamp) Overview
Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain is a porcelain urinal presented as an artwork in 1917. The piece, titled ‘R. Mutt,’ provoked significant debate about artistic creation and value by redefining what constitutes art. It is notable for its Dadaist conceptual approach and its lasting impact on the development of modern art.
The work is relevant to artists, critics, and scholars interested in challenging traditional notions of artistic production and exploring ideas surrounding readymades and conceptual art.
insights Ranking position
Fountain (Duchamp) ranks #54 of 235 in the Artifact ranking, behind Nebra Sky Disk, ahead of Ötzi the Iceman.
help Fountain (Duchamp) FAQ
Why was Duchamp's Fountain rejected from the 1917 exhibition?
Duchamp submitted the urinal under the name R. Mutt to the Society of Independent Artists exhibition in New York. Although the society advertised that any fee-paying artist could exhibit, the organizers withheld Fountain because they did not accept the plumbing fixture as art.
What does the name R. Mutt on Fountain mean?
The signature may allude to the Mott plumbing company and to the comic strip characters Mutt and Jeff, but Duchamp never supplied one universally accepted explanation. The pseudonym also separated the provocation from Duchamp's already recognizable public identity.
Is the original 1917 Fountain still in existence?
The original urinal was lost, and the image most people know comes from Alfred Stieglitz's 1917 photograph. Duchamp later authorized replicas, including a group produced by Arturo Schwarz in the 1960s.
Why is Fountain called a readymade?
A readymade is an ordinary manufactured object selected and repositioned by an artist rather than handcrafted as a unique sculpture. By turning a urinal, signing it, and submitting it to an exhibition, Duchamp shifted attention from manual skill to artistic choice and institutional context.
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