Which artist created the readymade sculpture 'Fountain'?

Marcel Duchamp created the readymade sculpture Fountain in 1917. The work was an ordinary porcelain urinal that Duchamp turned on its back, signed “R. Mutt,” and submitted to an art exhibition in New York.

Fountain became revolutionary because it argued that an artist’s choice could be as important as traditional craftsmanship. By selecting and repositioning a manufactured object, Duchamp challenged the assumption that sculpture had to be carved, modeled, or aesthetically beautiful. This approach became central to the idea of the readymade.

The Society of Independent Artists had promised to accept works from artists who paid the required fee, yet Fountain was not displayed in the exhibition. Its removal caused controversy, and Alfred Stieglitz photographed the object at his studio. The photograph was later published in the avant-garde magazine The Blind Man.

Duchamp’s authorship has been debated because the submitted object bore the name R. Mutt and may have involved other people. Nevertheless, art history conventionally attributes Fountain to Duchamp, making him the canonical answer.