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Readymade

From British Culture

Term coined by the French artist Marcel Duchamp to describe his works of art that are, in effect, modified or even unmodified objects originally manufactured for a different (non-artistic) purpose. Examples include Duchamp's Bottle Rack (1914), a rack for drying bottles with the artist's signature, and Fountain (1917), a urinal signed "R. Mutt". The concept of readymades challenged the strict distinction between what is and is not art.