Fountain 1917, replica 1964 Marcel Duchamp 1887-1968 Purchased with assistance from the Friends of the Tate Gallery 1999 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/T07573

Kitsch Objects are items, typically low quality, that appeal to some ‘trashy’ taste. This fine work of art we see above was “created” by the Frenchman Marcel Duchamp. Although I’m of the philosophical opinion that ultimate objective standards in art cannot exist, this piece shakes that belief. Published in the Society of Independent Artists for exhibition in 1917, the artist published the urinal with the intent of “trolling” the Society. He did not actually believe, (at least I sure hope not least he have very interesting opinions about beauty) that a urinal turned on its side and signed R. Mutt constituted a beautiful work of art. He merely wanted to test if the Society would accept it as art. To his surprise, they did.  

As British Art History professor Elizabeth Cowling observed, an observation that I should note I completely agree with. That although this object is a urinal, designed to defecated into by men. The orientation seems to strongly imply usage for women. With this, the item invokes the image of a woman squatting over it to urinate. It is hard to deny that images involving human body waste are anything but trashy. 

Moreover, although the quality of the urinal is high. The quality of the artwork, in terms of the time and effort the artist put into it, is remarkably lacking. All Duchamp did to create the piece was purchase a mass-produced urinal, flipped the object on its side and sign and date it “R. Mutt, 1917”. It took Michelangelo weeks to paint the Creation of Adam on the ceiling of Sistine Chapel. It couldn’t have taken Duchamp more than a half hour to make if one is generous and includes the time to purchase the urinal at a handwear store. Thus, being low quality and appealing to a trashy taste, Duchamp’s The Fountain is a Kitsch Object.