Readymade

A readymade is a piece of found art that requires no additional work to become art. The canonical example is Marcel Duchamp's Fountain -- a porcelain urinal signed "R. Mutt".

Concept pioneered by Marcel Duchamp, also employed by May Ray and Francis Picabia. Uses an everyday, mass-produced object, selected by an artist with a creative or thought-provoking purpose. A Readymade is different from Found Objects in that it is usually modified.

Examples include:

• Fountain
• L.H.O.O.Q.
• bicycle wheel
• "In Advance of a Broken Arm"
• Traveler's Folding Item
• Bottle Rack
• 50cc of Paris Air

---

Sources: Motherwell, Robert "The Dada Painters and Poets: An Anthology", Harvard University Press, 1951 Rubin, William S., "Dada, Surrealism, and Their Heritage", Museum of Modern Art, NY, 1968. Last Updated 02.06.03

With the rebellion of the artist against established art came the need for a more versatile and utilitarian medium. Some say that medium was “ready-made." Ready-made is an art term used to describe a mass-produced item, such as a tire, pen, or bar of soap. These common items, when incorporated into art, supposedly attach a greater value to aid item. Art created with ready-made pieces are at times controversial, and their authenticity is sometimes questioned.

Many artists have used ready-made media to create art, most notably those in the Abstract and Pop Art movements. Some famous artists who gained their status using ready-made media are Jean-Michel Basquiat (everything he created), Marcel Duchamp (Fountain), and of course, the infamous Andy Warhol (100 Campbell's Soup Cans).