Arts & Culture
The Significance of the Readymade in Conceptual Art
Quick fact
When Marcel Duchamp submitted his readymade 'Fountain'—a porcelain urinal—to an exhibition in 1917, it was rejected for not being art. Today, it is considered one of the most influential artworks of the 20th century.
Why this is interesting
Imagine walking into an art gallery and seeing a snow shovel hanging from the ceiling, labeled as art. Would you consider it art? That question is exactly what the readymade forces us to ask.