#bottlerack

Happy birthday to Marcel Duchamp, who was born on this day in 1887. An artist who broke down the boundaries between works of art and everyday objects, he is perhaps best known for his “ready-mades.” These mass-produced objects, which Duchamp chose, signed, and sometimes inscribed with mysterious phrases, were used to shake up the accepted norms of artistic creation. Learn more about this influential artist here. 

"Fountain," 1950 (replica of 1917 original), by Marcel Duchamp © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris / Succession Marcel Duchamp 

"Bottlerack," 1961 (replica of 1914 original), by Marcel Duchamp © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris / Succession Marcel Duchamp 

"Bicycle Wheel," 1964 (replica of 1913 original), by Marcel Duchamp © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris / Succession Marcel Duchamp 

Before Marcel Duchamp signed the infamous urinal, he’d already experimented with "readymades.” These mass-produced objects, which he chose, signed, and sometimes inscribed with mysterious phrases, were used to shake up the accepted norms of artistic creation.