What Would Dada Do?

In 1917, Marcel Duchamp became famous for submitting a urinal resting on it's side with "R. Mutt" scrawled on it and naming it "Fountain". It was his own way of making fun of all of those avant-garde artist peers of his. By placing a urinal in an art gallery, he challenged people's ideas of art and what actually 'is' art.

The movement is known as "Dada" and was mainly a reaction to modern society, especially WWI. He may have not been exactly understood then (or even now) but Duchamp was certainly a man ahead of his time. It was only until the 1960's when Andy Warhol became famous for the generally the same idea.

Now it seems someone else has the same idea, but it may not go over well with Paris's Pompidou Centre. Apparently, a 77 year old man named Pierre Pinoncelli 'attacked' the piece, chipping away at it with a small hammer and writing "Dada" on it.

The man was fined 214,000 euros (262,000 dollars) to pay to the Pompidou Centre.

In reaction, Pinoncelli was quoted as saying:

"I am not the cheap vandal that some would have me to be. A vandal does not sign his work. It was a wink to Dadaism. I wanted to pay homage to the spirit of Dadaism...which is disrespect"

Pinoncelli expects to appeal, arguing that he created a new original piece of art when he drew and scratched "Fountain".

I can certainly understand where Pinoncelli is coming from, however when Duchamp decided to deface the Mona Lisa, painting facial hair and re-naming it "LHQOOC"- sounding like "elle a chaud au cul" (she's hot in the ass), he at least used his own copy.

For More on Duchamp, go here.

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Until Later,

Sondra

p.s. please note my formidable restraint in not using 'urine trouble' for the title of this entry.