Duchamp "Ready Made"
Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky)
American, 1890–1976
1936
A gelatin silver print by Man Ray that photographs Marcel Duchamp’s bottle-drying ready-made, using the camera to present an ordinary metal rack as an object of aesthetic attention.
What strikes you is the vertical tower of circular bands and hooked prongs set against a deep black—Man Ray’s sharp contrasts and tight framing turn industrial steel into a rhythmic, almost skeletal sculpture of repeating forms and shadows.
The photograph helped enshrine Duchamp’s readymade idea and demonstrated how photography could circulate and aestheticize everyday objects, challenging traditional notions of authorship, taste, and what counts as art.
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
11 7/16 × 7 7/16" (29.1 × 18.9 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Transferred from the Department of Rights and Reproductions
Accession
341.1976
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
