The Readymade Revolution

Duchamp's readymades — ordinary manufactured objects presented as art — were Dada's most lasting provocation. A bicycle wheel mounted on a stool. A snow shovel titled In Advance of the Broken Arm. A urinal. By declaring these objects art, Duchamp asked a question that still has no settled answer: who decides what art is?

Duchamp's gesture proved that context determines meaning. A urinal in a bathroom is plumbing. The same object in a gallery becomes a philosophical statement about the nature of art. This simple insight remains the most influential idea in contemporary art.