The forefather of modern art
Marcel Duchamp is often called the forefather of modern and contemporary art. Duchamp (1887-1968) was fascinated with the idea of being an artist since he was a young boy at 17; however, with distaste for what was around, he knew that to enjoy the art, he would have to create something new. Despite participating in and influencing the Dadaist, Surrealist, and Cubist movements, Duchamp strayed from belonging to any group and preferred to be by his lonesome. He met many good friends through his work in these movements, including Man Ray and Francis Picabia. Duchamp's studio was bleak and packed with a table, a chess set (he had played chess for most of his life) and a chair; during this period, he created readymade objects. During a show in New York where artists could pay 6 US dollars and be entered as an artist, he decided to test the allowance of this statement. Duchamp paid the fee, entered a urinal under the false name 'R.Mutt', and named it 'Fountain'. When this work was refused, he wrote a definition and described, "Whether Mr. Mutt with his own hands made the fountain or not has no importance… [he] created a new thought for that object." For Father's Day this year, thinking about the art world's fathers is essential. Think about Duchamp, rather than your Dada!
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photo : Julian Wasser -
Duchamp smoking in front of Fountain, Duchamp Retrospective, Pasadena Art Museum, 1963
