TATE MODERN
Marcel DuchampDuchamp set himself the challenge of making art works
that were not works of art, as traditionally understood.
He decided that an art work did not need to be either
visually appealing or even made by the artist. Accordingly,
he chose a number of ‘readymade’ objects, of no
aesthetic merit, and gave them the usual attributes of a
work of art: a title, a named author, a date of execution,
and a viewing public or owner. His Fountain – an ordinary
urinal laid on its back – was rejected from an exhibition
in 1917. This, and more importantly, the ensuing debate
about what constitutes a work of art, is now seen as
a turning point in the history of modernism.
Rather than readymades, Man Ray produced what he called
‘objects of my affection’: two or more elements combined
to create a new work. He also used his camera to record
transient or ephemeral items that caught his eye. Here it
was the photograph that was the work of art, rather than
the object itself.