Marcel Duchamp was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Originally a painter and sculptor, Duchamp’s witty take on defying conventions led to works which became prototypes for Conceptual Art. His iconic “readymades” Bicycle Wheel (1913) and Fountain (1917), were otherwise unremarkable objects which Duchamp placed in the context of a gallery. Initially scorned by critics, these works had a singular effect on the definition of an art object. “The readymade is the consequence of the refusal which made me say: There are so many people who make pictures with their hands, that one should end up not using the hand,” he once reflected. Born on July 28, 1887, in Blainville-Crevon, France, he studied ...