Fontaine
1917 / 1964

Fontaine
1917 / 1964
Marcel Duchamp bought a urinal ,signed it "Richard Mutt" dubbed it the "Fontaine" and presented it as a work of art.
He then sent it to a New York gallery, where it was rejected. The jury was not yet prepared to admit this provocative artwork. Duchamp called it "ready-made" : elevating an industrial object to "work of art" status, simply because the artist chose it. This simple act conferred a new viewpoint for the artistic abject. What is the artist's role ? How do you define "work of art" in the age of film, photography, and industry ? Does it still have to be beautiful, unique ?Hand-made ? Non-reproducible ? Raising such questions did not always lead to answers, but did completely shake up 20th century art.
Domain | Oeuvre en 3 dimensions | Ready-made |
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Techniques | Faïence blanche recouverte de peinture |
Dimensions | 38 x 48 x 63,5 cm |
Acquisition | Achat, 1986 |
Inventory no. | AM 1986-295 |
Detailed description
Artist |
Marcel Duchamp
(1887, France - 1968, France) |
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Main title | Fontaine |
Title given | Urinoir |
Creation date | 1917 / 1964 |
Circumstances of production | D'après la photographie de l'original (perdu, fait à New York en 1917) prise par Alfred Stieglitz en 1917, cet exemplaire, réalisé en 1964 sous la direction de Marcel Duchamp par la Galerie Schwarz à Milan, constitue la 3e version |
Domain | Oeuvre en 3 dimensions | Ready-made |
Techniques | Faïence blanche recouverte de peinture |
Dimensions | 38 x 48 x 63,5 cm |
Printing | Exemplaire : Rrose |
Inscriptions | S.D.B.G. : R. MUTT / 1917 |
Acquisition | Achat, 1986 |
Collection area | Arts Plastiques - Moderne |
Inventory no. | AM 1986-295 |