What is R Mutt 1917?

What is R Mutt 1917?

“In 1917 Marcel Duchamp received a porcelain urinal from a female friend who had purchased the item in a plumbing store and signed it with 'R. Mutt', the male pseudonym she had adopted. Duchamp declared the object as a work of art, titled it 'Fountain' and submitted the sculpture to the Society of Independent Artists.

Why is the Fountain important?

Duchamp's “Fountain” was a significant contribution to the Dada movement, which arose in response to World War I and what some artists saw as the meaningless destruction caused by machines.

Is a urinal art?

While this is sort of an okay term to describe the object since the urinal was originally manufactured to be a plumbing and drainage element, it is disappointing because the term does not identify the urinal's more significant function as a piece of art.

How Fountain is not a work of art?

Fountain has none of the hallmarks of a typical artwork we might expect to find in a gallery. It is not a painting, nor is it a sculpture in any traditional sense. The artist behind the work has done little except pick out the object and place it on a plinth. The 'skill' behind it is minimal.

Why is the Fountain signed R Mutt?

Whether Mr Mutt with his own hands made the fountain has no importance. He CHOSE it. He took an ordinary article of life, placed it so that its useful significance disappeared under the new title and point of view – created a new thought for that object.

Who is the artist of Fountain after Marcel Duchamp?

Sherrie Levine Sherrie Levine, Fountain (After Marcel Duchamp), 1991, and Fountain (Buddha), 1996 | Whitney Museum of American Art.

Why is Duchamp Fountain famous?

Fountain is one of Duchamp's most famous works and is widely seen as an icon of twentieth-century art. The original, which is lost, consisted of a standard urinal, usually presented on its back for exhibition purposes rather than upright, and was signed and dated 'R. Mutt 1917'.

How much did fountain sell for?

On 17 November 1999, a version of Fountain (owned by Arturo Schwarz) was sold at Sotheby's, New York, for $1,762,500 to Dimitris Daskalopoulos, who declared that Fountain represented 'the origin of contemporary art'. The price set a world record, at the time, for a work by Marcel Duchamp at public auction.

Why was fountain created?

Fountain tested beliefs about art and the role of taste in the art world. Interviewed in 1964, Duchamp said he had chosen a urinal in part because he thought it had the least chance of being liked (although many at the time did find it aesthetically pleasing).

Why is Duchamp Fountain important?

Fountain is one of Duchamp's most famous works and is widely seen as an icon of twentieth-century art. The original, which is lost, consisted of a standard urinal, usually presented on its back for exhibition purposes rather than upright, and was signed and dated 'R.