readymades

Readymades are ordinary manufactured objects designated as art by a visual artist, typically through selection and contextual presentation rather than by crafted making. The term was popularized by Marcel Duchamp, who coined “readymade” in 1915, arguing that the artistic act consisted of choosing an object and presenting it as art. Early examples include Bicycle Wheel (1913) and Bottle Rack (1914), in which the objects were not altered beyond mounting or display; later works such as In Advance of the Broken Arm (1915) and Fountain (1917) used more provocative forms to challenge traditional aesthetics and the notion of artistic skill.

Duchamp also developed related forms, including assisted readymades and rectified readymades. An assisted readymade involves an additional action by the artist, while rectified readymades involve deliberate alteration of the object to change its meaning, as in L.H.O.O.Q. (1919), a modified Mona Lisa postcard. The core idea is that the artwork is created through the artist’s designation and the new context rather than through conventional fabrication.

Impact and reception have been extensive. Readymades helped catalyze Dada and had a lasting influence on conceptual art, installation practices, and later movements such as Fluxus and certain strands of contemporary art. They prompted ongoing debates about originality, authorship, craft, and the role of museums and the art market in defining what counts as art. Critics have sometimes accused readymades of negating skill or meaning, while supporters view them as a radical shift toward idea-driven art and a redefinition of artistic possibility.