Source: Wikipedia
If you’ve ever studied art history you probably know that in 1917 Marcel Duchamp signed a urinal “R. Mutt” and put it in a gallery. He called it “Fountain”. It was a serious statement about how the most utilitarian items really are works of art. Or maybe since Duchamp had a weird sense of humor it was a funny statement about how you can put anything in a gallery and it automatically becomes art. It’s a joke some artists have been repeating for nearly a century now.
I thought about that when I saw this painted over graffiti. Notice that it’s in a gallery parking lot. It’s like the gallery owners were saying, “Don’t bring your art around here!”
Why did Duchamp choose a urinal? Well, like I said, he had a weird sense of humor. Or maybe he was just preparing for the critics.
Christopher, I’ll be coming around here much more often, because I finally got smart enough to subscribe to your blog. I look forward to more consistent viewings of your art and artfulness.
I look forward to more of your artful comments.
OK, the art critic video was funny. Also, did you see the photo that went around a few months ago that showed a glove on the floor at MOMA and everyone was unsure if it was art or not? Here’s a link:
https://twitter.com/10ehc/status/553703519229071360
I missed that photo, so thank you so much for sharing it. That reminds me of a story fro several years ago. Damien Hirst had an exhibit of cigarette butts, beer bottles, and other assorted trash in the middle of a museum floor. The janitor swept it up and threw it away. Not surprisingly that’s happened more than once.
I had no idea I was cleaning up Gerald’s art display of Bud Light bottles for all these years!
Just think–if they’d been in a museum they could be worth six figures. That Damien Hirst exhibit was for sale for $150,000. As with some fashions, though, it’s really the label you’re paying for.