When is a urinal no longer a urinal? WhenMarcel Duchamp(1887–1968) declared it to be art. The uproar that greeted the French artist’sFountain(1917), a porcelain urinal installed in a gallery, sent shock waves through the art world establishment that reverberate right through to today.
Thisessential introduction distills all the daring and the scandal of Duchamp’s practiceinto one essential overview not only of a pioneering creative but also of a critical moment in Western culture. From his groundbreaking blend of abstraction, Cubism, and Futurism inNude Descending a Staircase(1912) to his forays into the now-iconic“readymades”such asBicycle Wheel(1913) andBottle Rack(1914) we explore how Duchampconsistently challenged the notion of what art isand, in so doing, opened up a world of conceptual possibilities beyond the “retinal” experience.
The author
Janis Minkstudied art history at Smith College and the University of Hamburg . She works as an adjunct professor, writer, and curator.