BgArt News Blog: Duchamp's Urinal

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

Duchamp's Urinal

Marcel Duchamp's ready-made urinal has been voted the most influential work of art of all time by 500 art experts. Pablo Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" and "Guernica" paintings must have felt a little peeved at missing out on the top spot to a toilet.
"Art experts" have been wrong before though..

Duchamp's urinal tops art survey
Duchamp shocked the art establishment when he took the urinal, signed it and put it on display in 1917.
"The choice of Duchamp's Fountain as the most influential work of modern art ahead of works by Picasso and Matisse comes as a bit of a shock," said art expert Simon Wilson.
bbcnews

¶ 1:18 PM

BgArt News Blog Comments:

I think this vote is correct. "Fountian" completely changed the way the world looked at art. Duchamp single handedly shaped the direction the art world would go and is the reason art is what it is today. While not the most aesthetically pleasing I believe Duchamp's "Foutain" is the most influential work of art.

# posted by

Defiant Heart : 7:07 AM

True story, Duchamp has had more influence on contemproary critical and conceptual art than perhaps any one person or idea.

# posted by

jlr : 7:56 AM

I think Duchamp has been mostly misinterpreted and over-aesthetisized. Read my take here: http://www.mmbeyer.com/Papers/Art_History/Mike's/Duchamp.htm

# posted by

Teacher : 10:43 PM

Any artist that opens up the possibilities of new media is alright by me, however many will disagree.
http://digitalartphotographyfordummies.blogspot.com/2006/03/this-deco-urinal-sure-beats-duchamps.html

# posted by

Digital Art Photography for Dummies : 10:58 AM

Duchamp is probably turning over in his grave - to hide the laughter.

# posted by

Brenda : 11:58 AM

A signed urinal is the greatest expression of modern art? People must be grasping at loose ends to find meaningful symbolism in their lives.

# posted by

Anonymous : 9:17 AM

You must see the "American Standard Voting Urinal by Liette" urinal at www.liettebath.com. One photo says it all

# posted by

dan@lietteinternational.com : 12:33 PM

Clement Greenberg was correct to observe that the whole Duchampian position was essentially anticipated by the eighteenth-century notion of the "aesthetic attitude." Once it was recognized that anything whatsoever could be a work of art if contemplated aesthetically, then presenting such objects as Duchamp's Urinal in the museum merely involved drawing the consequences of this Kantian position, though admittedly with examples which would have bewildered Kant.

# posted by

michael wilson : 2:12 PM

I believe "Fountain" Duchamps Urinal lowered the bar so low on what art could be. That the art buyer could now dictate the art market, because anyone "they" said was an artist now was. Removing all skill, removed the barrier to entry, leaving the art business in charge of what they decided was good. Leading to an emperors new clothes effect on the art world.

This pieces is only influence is that it allows the unskilled to be hailed as artists, and the perpetuation of the myth must be upheld to keep the value of the rubbish that is produced.

# posted by

Sam Durkin : 12:55 PM

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