The Fountain Drawings

Perhaps the most infamous object in the history of 20th century art is Duchamp's Fountain. Rosetta stone to the avant-garde, Duchamp's 1917 urinal redefined, in one bold conceptual stroke, the possibilities of art forever after -- entering modern consciousness, and signifying the start of a counter-tradition of ready-mades, anti-art, and conceptualism that is 80 years old. It is therefore appropriate that artist Mike Bidlo, who has in the past made appropriations of legendary artworks (by Picasso, Man Ray, Brancusi, etc.), here focuses his attentive eye on Fountain. This book catalogues the surprising results of Bidlo's homage, and taken together, these 300+ drawings bring out both the totemic and painterly qualities of Fountain. The book includes an extensive discussion between Bidlo and critics Arthur Danto and Francis Naumann.