Warhol’s Urinal and Tales of Other Piss Pots


A great article at the Economist follows the fortunes of Duchamp’s urinals from the first (which seems to have been misplaced) to the editions that came out in later years.

Editions of Duchamp’s urinals are multiple and hard to track–meaning you could buy a fake Fountain. Unlike Andy, who traded a few paintings for an authentic urinal, now you be losing a few million over something that may or may not count. As the article ends by speculating, wouldn’t Marcel Duchamp rather enjoy today’s situation:

One wonders whether the Dada master, who challenged the notion of the authentic artwork, might not be amused by the way these questionable “Fountains” muddy the waters of his current market. “My production,” he once said, “has no right to be speculated upon.”

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4 thoughts on “Warhol’s Urinal and Tales of Other Piss Pots

  1. I think Duchamp himself seems like a really cool and clever guy–perhaps more so than his art! But then, look at the effect his work still has.

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