Who is R. Mutt?

Philly has its own Duchamp urinal at the Art Museum, you may have noticed. Wait, why was this voted the most influential art work of the 20th century again (beating out runners-up Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Picasso and Marilyn Diptych by Warhol)? And what does R. Mutt mean?

Well, the story goes that Duchamp, who was 29 and had already been in the middle of quite a bit of controversy for his Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 five years earlier, belonged to a group of outsider artists that had banded together to be able to display their work. The group was having an exhibition in 1917, and they advertised that any art submitted with a fee of six dollars would be exhibited without censorship or qualitative judgment. Duchamp went out, bought a urinal, turned it 90 degrees, scribbled a fake name (R. Mutt) on the side and submitted it with his six dollars as “Fountain.” “Fountain” didn’t go into the exhibition, despite the group’s earlier guarantees; Duchamp then left the group.

The original “Fountain” was probably thrown away; the one we have in the art museum is one of eight reproductions made in 1964. This particular piece of readymade art is estimated to be ultimately responsible for up to 90% of all undergrad musings on “But what IS art, really? I mean, other than just something that we all decide should be in a frame or on a pedestal in a museum? …hey, I think this bowl’s kicked, man.”

Well, someone is doing a neat art-type project based on “Fountain:” they mail you a sticker that mimics the R. Mutt 1917 signature, you put it on a urinal or toilet in the city of your choice, take a picture and email it to the website. Two neat examples thus far are on the Taiwan high-speed rail and a MOMA urinal.

This article explains readymades and “Fountain” way better

To get a sticker mailed to you, see the website

thanks, jiv!

BTW: One more Philly Duchamp thing: the next time you’re at the art museum, go look for his last  work, Etant Donnes. It’s kind of secreted away, but it’s really neat when you find it. Uh, but maybe don’t hold your kids up to see it if you have problems with them seeing some vag. I’m putting it behind a jump.