Reinventing the Wheel: The Readymade Century

Overview

There's nothing more divisive in the art world than the readymade. Ever since Duchamp plonked that urinal in a gallery, people's perception of modern art swung one of two ways. They either felt liberated by the boundaries of 'art' loosening — empowered by the utopic promise of a truly limitless form — or, they grew increasingly cynical. "Really? A bicycle wheel? A urinal?" The sentiments of hipster-haters worldwide are destined to eternally bounce off the walls of our trendy modern galleries. "This is art?"

Love it or hate it, the idea was revolutionary, and Reinventing the Wheel: The Readymade Century, the newest exhibition at Monash University Museum of Art, is set to explore exactly what effect this seminal form has had. Think neo-dada, minimalism, and pop; Duchamp's ideas are ever present in the work of many of our modern and contemporary greats. The exhibition will in fact showcase over 50 big-name artists including Duchamp himself, Man Ray, Jeff Koons, and Andy Warhol. While you may have artistic differences with the readymade itself, that's a pretty tough lineup to turn down.

Image: Duchamp's Bicycle Wheel on exhibition at MoMA, photo courtesy of Eneas De Troya